Kiss The Stars
by xLifeFullOfLaughterx
Summary: Shane McMahon has been away from the WWE for three years, but on his return he is appalled that someone like CM Punk is wearing gold. In order to make his life miserable, he attempts to take the one thing that means most to Punk. Full summary inside.
1. You and Me

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Summary - **Shane McMahon has been away from the WWE for three years now, but on his return he is appalled that a young talent like CM Punk is now wearing WWE gold. In an effort to make his life miserable, he attempts to take the one thing that means most to Punk, the love of his life, Maria. While Shane keeps Punk busy with somewhat meaningless obligations, the pressure for Punk to keep his relationship intact mounts. What happens when Shane takes it too far?

**Author's Note - **This is a totally new story I'm starting. The idea was graciously given to me by another fanfiction writer and I loved the concept. Let me know what you think, it's something a bit different to my other story 'What Lies Beneath' and I hope you like it. This chapter has sex in it, if you don't like that, it might be best to stop reading at that point. However it's not all sex, it's mostly plot so don't be too concerned :)

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter One: ~**

_Kiss the stars tonight, you and me _

_Oh we will write our name in lights,_

_They will see, we're in love tonight_

_Love tonight, we're in love tonight_

He hoisted the belt over his head triumphantly as he sat atop the ladder. It was an amazing moment and definitely one of the most memorable in his career. He felt like he'd been hit by a train at high speed, but for now the adrenaline coursing through his veins masked the pain as he drank in the amazing atmosphere, the fans cheering for him, celebrating with him.

He slowly climbed down as the Pay per View went off air, his WWE title slung over his shoulder. Thrilled to have retained his title and remain at the top of the company, he raised the championship one more time before heading up the ramp. He limped through the curtain and into the backstage area, a few of his colleagues giving him a well-earned slap on the back for what turned out to be one hell of a match. He didn't enjoy ladder matches much, they were so dangerous, but the thrill of pulling one off and coming out the other side unscathed was second to none.

"Nice job Punk" The Undertaker winked in his direction as he passed.

"Thanks man" he replied, his chest swelling with pride at being complimented by such a legend.

He gently placed the title over the lighting case nearest to him and grabbed a towel from one of the crew. He mopped his brow before draping it around his neck. He turned just in time to see his girlfriend running towards him, throwing herself into his arms. He caught her as she wrapped her legs around his waist and hugged him tightly.

"Hey" he chuckled; thankful he still had the strength to support her weight as well as his.

"You were awesome out there" she told him, pulling back to look into his eyes as she tousled his hair around her fingers.

"You think so?"

"Mmm" she mumbled as she pressed her lips against his. He reciprocated a little before placing her back down on the ground gently.

"I think you need a shower" she smiled, biting on her lip cheekily as she ran a hand over his chest, beads of perspiration running down it.

"You don't say" he laughed, grabbing his title and heading off to the locker room. He felt Maria slip her smaller hand into his as they walked and he gave it a little squeeze, intertwining his fingers with hers.

He let out an exhausted sigh as he sunk onto the bench, looking forward to getting back to the hotel and resting his aching limbs.

"I was scared you'd get hurt" Maria confessed as she checked her make-up in the mirror. Phil stood up and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"You look perfect" he said, resting his head on her shoulder and studying their reflection. Seeing that she was still fussing over a tiny blemish on her jaw, he kissed the spot before sitting back down on the bench and pulling her down with him. She giggled and swatted his hands away.

"Why were you scared I'd get hurt?" he asked as her arms encircled his neck protectively.

"I'm always scared you'll get hurt Phil…but it's rare to see anyone come out of a ladder match without a mark on them"

"It's a good job I'm such a talented wrestler then" he winked.

"Smug" she grinned, pressing her forehead against his.

That smile. She could get him to do anything with that smile. The way her teeth scraped her lower lip as she fought it, the corners of her mouth upturning and the cute dimple that appeared.

Now they were in his locker room and out of public sight, he initiated a real kiss, hands resting on either side of her waist. Her lips parted, granting him access as his tongue searched out hers. Her hands were in his hair, keeping him in place as he took control and deepened the kiss.

Maria's breath caught in her throat as Phil's lips moved down to the pulse point in her neck.

"Stop it" she smiled.

She arched her back as he ran his hands underneath her shirt and up her spine.

"Phil stop!" she whined, placing her palms against his bare chest and pushing him gently. He tried again, known for his persistence, only to be pushed away again. He used his puppy-dog eyes, pouting.

Maria took his face in her hands and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "Not now, I have to go tape Afterburn. You know? My job?" she smiled, standing up and pulling her shirt back down. He couldn't help but stare at the way her little black skirt hugged her hips, how her red patent heels made her legs look even longer and how her cute white blouse was unbuttoned just enough to reveal the top of the red lace bra he bought her for her birthday.

"Do I…?"

"You look gorgeous" he cut her off before she finished the question, giving her ass a little squeeze before she headed off.

"I love you Phillip Jack Brooks"

"I love you too Maria Louise Kanellis" he smiled. "I'm gonna shower and then I have to see the trainer before we leave, so give me a text when you finish" he told her, planting one last kiss on the tip of her nose.

* * *

><p>Phil and Maria had been together now for a few months, but this wasn't their first try at a relationship with one another. They first met at Ohio Valley Wrestling where they embarked on a near three year relationship. But things were hard that first time, they were passing ships in the night, rarely seeing one another when Phil was called up to the big time. The pressure on the relationship made it impossible to work as a team and without that, it crumbled beneath their feet. Stupid fights over nothing started to turn into something more. Maria arguing that Phil spent more time with his friends when he was home than he did with her, that he never took her to dinner or treated her like a girlfriend. Phil becoming increasingly concerned with the direction of her modelling career, culminating in Playboy - something they argued over many a time.<p>

It was a messy break-up, and after deciding to go their separate ways, not a word was exchanged again. Not a call, not a text, not a Christmas card and not even a twitter follow. Other girls came and went in the years between, none ever leaving an imprint on his heart the way she did. But he resolved himself to leaving that relationship in the past, accepting that what happened did so for a reason. He lost her, it was over…

But fate changed its' mind. Maria was offered an opportunity she couldn't turn down - a presenting job on a show like WWE was a big deal, and she would be lying if she said she hadn't struggled for work since she was released. Sure, seeing Phil again would be hard, she didn't want to revisit the pain of the past but she needed this job.

She didn't even manage to avoid him until she got the job. As she waited outside Mr McMahon's office nervously for her interview, Phil turned up. Their eyes locked and time stopped for a few moments…it was tense, awkward even. Last time this happened, at comic con, their gazes met and they walked away without so much as a smile. That was hard…a little part of her mourned what they had and what they had become…but it felt necessary. Now it would be hard to escape, maybe they could learn to be civil around one another for work purposes…

"Hey" Phil was the first to break their five year silence, looking surprised to see her there.

"Hey" she smiled a little, rubbing her hands together nervously.

"I'd start with how are you, but I'm more interested to find out what brings you here" he raised his eyebrows.

"You always did get straight to the point…"

Phil let out a small chuckle, flash-backs to old times running through his mind.

"I'm here to see Vince about a presenting position" she told him, running her fingers through her dark red hair.

"Wow, hope it goes well" he said genuinely.

Mr McMahon's secretary told her Vince was ready for her and she gathered herself together, ready to be the bright, bubbly girl she wasn't quite feeling in that moment.

"Maria…" Phil called out as she turned the doorknob. She turned to face him.

"It was great to see you"

* * *

><p>And the rest was history so to speak…<p>

They never could resist each other, they had an unexplainable magnetism and though they agreed to take it slow this time, they inevitably realised they never did stop loving each other.

Phil rubbed his damp hair with a towel, happy that a shower soothed some of the aches making his whole body throb. He tossed his ring gear into his bag and changed into some basketball shorts and a new t-shirt before heading off to see the trainer. Contrary to what you would expect from a visit to the medics, after-match sessions always meant PAIN. As if he hadn't experienced enough of that in the last few hours.

"Evening Jim" Phil greeted the man who'd seen him through an elbow operation, hip rehabilitation and many many concussions. He was a senior employee, nearing his sixties now. He had grey hair and a light stubble covering his jaw, one of those people who always had good things to say about everyone.

"Evening Phil, how's the body feeling?"

"Can't complain" he replied as he hopped up into the medics' table and slipped his shirt off.

He took a deep breath and held it as the man took hold of his bad arm and stretched it out.

"Be gentle with me Jim"

"Oh you know me Phil, I'm always gentle, especially with you darling" he laughed as he worked a particularly bad knot out of his shoulder.

He gritted his teeth against the pain that flared in his elbow as Jim massaged the muscles. He worked his way down Phil's spine, paying special attention to the hip that had been so dangerously close to needing surgery not so long ago.

He was hoping Jim missed the sharp intake of breath as his thumb caught the point where bone met bone. Unfortunately he wasn't that lucky.

"How bad is it?" Jim asked, reading his mind.

"Honestly?"

"That would be helpful" Jim raised his eyebrows.

"Outside of the ring I barely notice it. I'll get the odd twinge in the ring but that right there...agony" he admitted with a pessimistic sigh.

"Here?" he asked, punctuated as he pressed down hard with the palm of his hand.

"Motherfucker!" Phil groaned, face contorted in pain.

"Are you beating up my boyfriend again Jim?" came a voice from the door.

"Don't worry, I'll leave him with enough mobility to drag himself to bed tonight" Jim joked.

Phil wasn't quite in the mood for jokes, feeling the concerns about his body holding up creeping back into his mind.

"What's wrong?" Maria leaned in to stroke his face as he lay on his side on the medic table.

"He's over-thinking things again" Jim commented, pushing Phil's knee up and stretching out his hamstrings. "I'll book you in"

Phil ran a hand over his face as Jim finished his physio session. He got down from the table, Jim sending him a wink as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't fret, you're still young kid" he whispered.

"Thanks" Phil nodded, pulling his shirt back on and bidding him goodnight. As they wound their way through the empty hallways of the arena and back to the locker room, Maria noted the stressed look on Phil's face. He was always hard to handle when he sunk into one of those moods but she understood the pressure he was under all the time.

"When he said he'll book you in...what did he mean?" she asked him as they walked.

He was silent for a while, lost in his own thoughts before answering.

"For a hip x-ray"

She didn't ask anymore questions, knowing now was just one of those times he needed to let his mind process. They collected their bags and jumped in the rental, Phil driving them back to the hotel. In an attempt to drag him out of his thoughts for a while, Maria broke the silence in the car.

"Filming was hilarious today, Justin just couldn't keep a straight face when we were doing the funny bits"

"I'm sure you were more professional huh?" he smiled a little, the lights of the city reflected in his eyes as they sped along the highway.

"Of course, I'm always professional" she giggled, staring out of the window as other cars flew by. "Plus, it sounds really harsh but if they ever decide to cut costs and go back to one presenter, I need this job"

Phil didn't respond to that, the vacant look on his face telling her that she'd said the wrong thing. He was back to thinking about his career. He was like that, anyone who knew him would tell you. His mind worked overtime, analysing, processing and picking apart everything around him. But the Phil behind closed doors was a surprise to everyone. The Phil Brooks his friends knew and loved was very different to CM Punk. CM Punk was the cocky, determined man who didn't take shit from anyone. The man who fought authority and won and the man who was fazed by nothing.

But Phil was the little boy living his dream, the guy who would do anything for the people he loved, the guy who cared way too much, the man who wasn't afraid to be himself and the man who underneath it all, had a much softer side.

They made it back to the hotel just before two in the morning, kicking off their shoes and sinking into the bed in relief. Phil kicked back, crossed his ankles and put his arms behind his head, yawning. Maria rolled onto her front and crawled up next to him, resting her head on his chest.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really" he admitted, draping an arm over her waist.

"Tired?"

"Sore yes, but sleepy no" he smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm glad you're not sleepy" she bit her lip gently.

"And why is that?" he smirked, noticing where this was going.

"Because I wouldn't be a very good girlfriend if I didn't do my best to make you feel better now would I?" she said seductively, tugging at the hem of his shirt. When that was met with little resistance from him, she pulled it up and over his head, tossing it onto the floor. One leg either side of him now, she ran her hands over his smooth chest, pushing him back down onto the bed.

Instinctively, his lips searched out hers, tongues intertwining as he tugged at her lips with his teeth. His lip ring felt cold against her tongue, sending her senses into overdrive as they explored old territory like it was their first time. Without breaking apart, he ran his hands up her sides leaving goose bumps in their wake, all the way up to her shoulders and back down. He reached for the buttons on her blouse, fumbling blindly as they kissed passionately. Saving the button resting over her cleavage for last, he reached underneath the nearly open blouse and around to her back, unhooking the clasp of her bra with ease. The satisfying snap was masked only by her moan of anticipation.

In the heat of the moment, he didn't care where her clothes landed. All he knew was that he wanted them off. He unzipped the back of her skirt, pushing it down her hips as she wriggled out of it. She returned to her position on top of him, now wearing nothing but her red lace underwear. As she instinctively ground her hips into him, she felt his excitement. Spurred on and more than ready for more, she kissed a path down his neck, sucking on his collar bone and trailing her tongue down to his nipples. She circled her tongue around the sensitive buds, feeling his chest rise and fall more rapidly beneath her.

She planted a few soft kisses on his toned stomach, finally reaching the waistband of his shorts. She settled in between his legs, pulling the shorts down his hips and legs, tossing them aside. She took her time to enjoy his body, the smoothness of his skin, the way he reacted to her touches and the sexy dimples on his hip bones. That was Phil in one word. Sexy. She could see that he was enjoying her advances, a small dark patch evident on the front of his boxers.

She nuzzled his arousal through the thin fabric, earning her a low groan. Knowing he wasn't up to one of their usual love-making sessions tonight, she focussed on making him forget the pain in his body by masking it with pleasure. As she pulled his underwear down his legs, she glanced up at his face. His eyes were closed, lips slightly parted and his head pressed hard into the pillow. He had no idea what he did to her. That man drove her crazy.

He stopped breathing for a few seconds as she took him into her mouth, sucking lightly until the friction lessened. He was hard as a rock for her as she pulled away for a moment, a trail of saliva keeping her connected to him. He glanced down, eyes glazed over.

"Shit Ri" he groaned, subconsciously rolling his hips against the bed.

She returned to sucking on him, paying special attention to the vein on the underside. By now, she knew his body better than her own, what turned him on and what drove him mad. She held him in place, occasionally running her tongue over the head and into the sensitive ridge at the top. He moaned as she picked up the pace, eyes locking every now and then as he watched what she was doing to him.

Ready to bring him to the edge, she took him all the way in until her lips reached his pelvis, controlling her gag reflex as her throat contracted around him. He let out a whimper as he fought the urge to buck his hips, letting her get used to the feeling. Knowing how much it turned him on, she reached for his hand, guiding it to the back of her head and allowing him to control the pace. She removed her hands from his hips, using them instead to steady herself. She sucked hard around the base, giving him the go ahead to take charge.

He started slowly, rolling his hips gently as his hand kept her head in place. Feeling his manhood hit the back of her throat was enough to make him want to explode right there but he kept his cool, thrusting gently into the heavenly cavern that was her mouth. Her hands massaged his thighs, letting him know it was okay to go harder. When she first bought it up, he was tentative to try it, but she was comfortable with it, and he knew she would tell him immediately if he went too far.

He increased the pace, thrusting up and down her throat harder, feeling his climax building. His fingers tightened in her hair, a series of moans escaping his lips.

She cupped his balls, rolling them in her palm as she sensed he was close. She kept her throat relaxed as he moved, trusting him more than anyone else she had ever been with. He was a good size and taking all of him into her mouth was a challenge, but she lived for the look on his face when he reached the edge. She knew he was about to cum, his stomach was tight and the hand gripping her head loosened. He pulled out and stroked himself furiously as she waited open-mouthed. With a loud cry of completion, he released his load, spurts of his seed hitting her tongue and dripping over her lips. She used her hand to give him the final few strokes until he had nothing left to give before letting him see his essence in her mouth. She licked her lips before swallowing it and crawling back up his body to kiss him long and hard.

His chest heaved as he came down from his high, panting slightly.

"I love you Ri"

"I love you too" she whispered, settling in next to him.

A minute or two later and she felt him stir. Back to his senses, she felt him follow the curve of her body with a finger, eventually reaching her inner thigh. He pulled her to him, her back pressing into his chest as they lay on their side. She gasped as she felt his hands travel higher until they reached her underwear. Sure she was a little disappointed that there would be no sex tonight, but she understood and she certainly wasn't expecting him to return the favour. Not when he'd had such an exhausting day.

But there they were, his fingers teasing the edge of her underwear. She knew he could feel that they were soaked from her excitement at seeing her boyfriend climax. She felt his breath on the back of her neck as his fingers slipped inside, drawing patterns that left her moaning softly. And just like she knew his body, he knew hers like the back of his hand.

Full of surprises tonight, he slithered down the bed, pulling her underwear with him. She held her breath as he grabbed her thighs, feeling his head settle there. He started by probing her ever so slightly with his tongue, causing her to whine lightly. She came undone as he lapped at her tender flesh, failing to hold back a scream when he tongue stud brushed her sensitive bundle of nerves. He alternated between using his mouth to drive her crazy and thrusting his fingers in and out of her until she was a quivering, moaning mess.

As he flicked the stud over that same spot again she cried out.

"Oh God, don't stop! Please Phil" she whined.

That was the thing about Phil. No one could imagine the way he behaved behind closed doors. He wasn't CM Punk - he was loving, attentive and passionate. Sexy as hell.

Hearing her say his name at the height of her pleasure spurred him on. He assaulted that same spot repeatedly, rubbing circles with his hands too. She screamed out her release, her body rolling with pleasure and contracting around his fingers. He didn't stop as she rode down the wave of ecstasy, returning to his spot on the bed and pulling her against him. Her body fit his so well as she snuggled in under his arm.

And just like that, they drifted off to sleep, content in each others arms.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Hope it captured your imagination a little. Let me know what you think, the more reviews, the sooner I update :)<strong>


	2. Look Inside Your Heart

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note - **Thank you so much for the amazing reviews, they mean the world. Please keep letting me know how it's going, feedback is the most important part of writing for me :) Song credits for the lyrics go to 'Higher Love' by James Vincent Mc Morrow. Strongly recommend a listen, it's beautiful. If you're into twitter, you can follow me at Punkifiedx but I can't promise to be all that exciting ;) Hope you like the chapter!

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Two: ~**

_Think about it, there must be higher love,  
>Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above,<br>Without it, life is wasted time,  
>Look inside your heart, I'll look inside mine. <em>

Maria's eyelids fluttered open and she was met with a rare sight. Phil was sleeping lightly on his back next to her. She gently turned over to check the time, making sure she didn't wake him. It was nearly 9am so this was a record. It was extremely rare that Phil slept past 6. Knowing there was no way she could get up without waking him, she stayed beside him, snuggling into his warm body. Waking up next to him still put a smile on her face every day; she would never take it for granted again.

She just watched him sleep for a while, taking in the sweet way his mouth hung open a little and the stubble that thickened on his face overnight. Eventually he stirred, opening his eyes.

"Morning" she said, sending him a little smile as she leaned over to plant a good morning kiss on his lips.

"Morning beautiful" he replied sleepily, lacing his fingers with hers and kissing her properly.

"How are you feeling?"

"I don't know yet, I'll let you know when I try to move" he chuckled.

She pulled a sad face, running a hand over his face.

"Let me guess, I need to shave right?"

"Mmm, definitely not" she said, kissing his jaw. "Nothing wrong with being a bit rough around the edges" she bit her lip playfully, nipping his ear.

He groaned his disapproval.

"That's it, I'm getting up or I'll be forced to stay here all day and show you why it's not okay to abuse me" he winked.

He stretched his arms up over his head, the expression on his face worth a hundred words. He tried to push himself into a sitting position, failing miserably.

"Don't get up yet if you're hurting"

He closed his eyes, trying not to let the fact that his body felt like one giant bruise show on his face. Maria worried too much. He used his arms to haul himself up and he stood slowly on shaky legs. Without complaining once, he dragged his battered carcass into the bathroom, not evening mustering the energy to pick up some clothes to cover his modesty. It's not like she hadn't seen it all before anyway.

He studied his torso in the mirror, picking out six or seven purple bruises just on his chest. He saw Maria standing behind him in the reflection. He turned to her and held out his arms, pulling her into his chest.

"I hate seeing you so beat up" she whispered.

"I'm fine; you should be used to it by now"

"I'll never get used to seeing you in pain" she said, breathing into his chest. "And you can't say you're fine Phil, you can barely move"

"I've been in much worse states than this. Nothing a few stretches won't fix" he said, kissing the top of her head.

"Let me run you a bath then…and then you can put some clothes on because as much as I enjoy staring at your ass, it's not very ladylike behaviour" she giggled, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek.

He threw her one of his trademark smirks before doing a twirl for her benefit.

* * *

><p>"You're not seriously gonna do weights today are you bro?"<p>

"Leave it off man, I had enough of that this morning" he rolled his eyes as Zack Ryder gelled his hair in the mirror beside him. He'd finally made it to the gym after a lengthy lecture from Maria who instructed him to take it easy. As if. He was CM Punk. The fuck did he ever go easy.

"You're black and blue, you'll be in make-up for like an hour tonight" he laughed, showing off that trademark grin.

"Oh well, no pain no gain huh? Beats having your head cracked open. I swear people take this shit for granted. Yeah I'm hurt but it's nothing that won't go away in a day or two" he shrugged, leaning on the locker of the changing room. "You ready yet Barbie?"

"Don't be a dick about it. It takes time to look this good" Zack chuckled before following Phil out into the workout area.

He lifted some weights as planned, the pain in his shoulders stopping him from doing anything too strenuous. After working with the kick bags for a while, he realised if he did too much more he wouldn't be able to move let alone wrestle tonight. With a frustrated sigh, he told Zack he was heading back, showered and collected his stuff from the changing room. Before he left the building, he got a call.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Phil, its Jim. You got an appointment at the hospital up the road from the arena straight after the show so don't come to me tonight. Management know and they've got you in a tag match to help ease the strain"

"Thanks Jim, you are a star" he told the man.

"Hope it all goes well for you bud"

"Me too…thanks for sorting it, might catch you at the arena before the match anyway, got some aches that need soothing" he chuckled lightly.

"Alright, take it easy" Jim told him, hanging up.

He felt around for his phone in his pocket as he felt it vibrate again.

_Meet me in the car park. LOVE YOU_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

He frowned. He thought she was planning on going shopping today…

Just as she said she would be, she was in the car park with a knowing smile on her lips. He dropped his bag as she hugged him tight.

"Hey, what's all this in aid of?" he chuckled.

"We're going for lunch" she smiled, throwing his bag in the back of the car and hopping in. He climbed into the passenger seat, wondering what was going on.

"Okay…why?"

"Because Phil, I wanted to spend more time with you…but if you don't then that's fine" she said, looking hurt.

"Hey, hey what brought this on?" he asked, leaning over to wrap his arms around her.

"I just keep thinking about last time Phil…I can't help it" she whispered.

"That's in the past now"

"What if I lose this job…?" she asked sadly.

"You won't" he said, kissing the top of her head.

"Well for now, I just want to be with you if that's okay with you"

"That's great with me" he smiled, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He couldn't blame her for being insecure, they'd both suffered through the heartbreak, having to pick their lives back up off the floor and carry on without each other. But he was determined that it wouldn't happen again. She was the only girl he'd dated that he could really see himself with for the rest of his life. They grew up 45 minutes from each other, with a similar tough childhood so they could relate more than the average couple. She made him feel like a man and her strong will always kept him on his toes. She had no idea how much she meant to him.

"Feeling any better?" she asked, snapping him out of his trance.

"Much"

"Good" she smiled.

* * *

><p>They sat in a quiet corner of the little restaurant chatting and eating. Maria opted for a chicken salad, Phil choosing a burger. Their hands were linked under the table as they ate, having a rare few hours to just relax.<p>

Maria looked down, hearing a sniffle. Her eyes fell on a little boy sobbing uncontrollably; he could only have been three or four years old. He wore the cutest denim dungarees, his fluffy blonde hair sticking up on his head. He was trying to say something, failing miserably.

"Aww sweetie, are you okay?" she cooed, reaching down to place a hand on his back.

"I…l…lost…my…my…mu…mummy" he sobbed, struggling to breathe between whimpers.

"Aww, come here, I'll help you find her" she comforted him, taking his hand and getting up so she could crouch down next to him.

"My…mu…mummy said to…to find a nice…nice lady if I got lost…to h…help me" he hiccupped.

"Aren't you adorable, what's your name sweetie?" she asked him gently.

Phil couldn't help but think what a great mother Maria would be someday. 'The fuck Phil? Snap out of it' he told himself, chuckling internally at that random thought.

"Archie" he sniffed, eyeing Phil warily.

"Well Archie, I'm Maria…and this is Phil" she smiled, pointing at each of them in turn.

Scared, the little boy hid behind Maria, tears continuing to stream from his eyes. She giggled and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"He's not as scary as he looks. He won't bite"

Without having to ask what his mother looked like, Maria noticed a frantic looking lady outside. "Hey, I think I found her…you just stay with Phil a second while I go tell her you're okay" she told him before disappearing out of the doors.

The little boy looked terrified at first, sucking on his thumb.

"Have you lost a child?" Maria asked the woman.

"Yes! Do you know where he is?" she asked, freaking out.

"Yeah, he's inside…he came up to us crying"

"Oh thank God! Thank you so much" she exclaimed, relief flooding over her.

Maria burst into fits of laughter as turned to see Phil bringing Archie outside. The reason for her amusement being that the little boy was clinging tightly to Phil's chest, seemingly having bonded with him after his initial fear. Phil's face was a picture, not sure how exactly to comfort the boy, just holding him to make sure he didn't fall.

"I assume he belongs to you?" Phil chuckled, looking down at Archie whose face was buried in his shirt.

"Archie!" his mother shouted. The little boy looked up and jumped down from Phil, running to his mum. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Isn't he adorable?" Maria cooed to Phil.

"He is" Phil smiled.

"Can't we keep him?" she joked.

"I don't think so" Phil laughed.

* * *

><p>Maria finished getting dressed to film her segment, opting for a smart black dress with black heels and a little white cardigan. She fluffed up her hair a little more and added some red lipstick to her full lips before heading off to join Phil in the main locker room.<p>

She knocked on the door, even though it was already slightly ajar, making sure everyone was decent. Mike 'The Miz' answered it, looking her up and down.

"Maria! You never come see me anymore, long time no speak" he grinned.

"Nice to see you too Mike" she smiled. "Am I okay to come in? Phil's here right?"

"I'll just check" he said, turning around and glancing quickly around the room. "All clear…but admit it, you didn't come here to see Phil did you?" he winked, leaning against the door frame.

"Alright that's enough Mizanin" Phil sighed, pushing Mike away from the door and letting Maria in. She laughed and took a seat next to him on the bench as he finished slicking his hair back. She quite liked visiting the guys communal locker room, there was always a larger-than-life character making everyone laugh, often Phil or Santino Marella. Yeah when Phil wasn't given a private locker room it meant no pre-show 'fun' but they still shared the odd look.

"If you two don't stop eye-fucking each other I'm gonna have to call management" Cena joked, punching Phil's shoulder playfully. Clearly their gazes hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Watch the shoulder man, I only got crushed by a ladder last night" Phil whined, rubbing it.

"You're looking lovely tonight" Jack Swagger commented, taking a seat next to Maria on the bench.

Maria laughed, used to being in a male-dominated environment.

"More than lovely…you're looking damn fine" Dolph Ziggler chimed in.

Sensing an opportunity to piss Phil off, Randy Orton chimed in. "I'd hit that" he smirked.

"You'd hit anything in a dress" Phil retorted, trying not to take the bait.

"What was that Phillip?" Randy quipped.

"What was what Randall?" Phil replied, angrily adjusting his kick pad.

"Break it up children…Phil's the only one who gets the privilege of 'hitting that' so I think it's about time we all simmered down" John intervened.

"Excuse me" Maria announced, getting the attention of the guys who had clearly forgotten she was even there. "Can you guys stop talking about me like some kind of object you can possess?" she pouted.

They backed off, returning to getting ready for their respective matches. She was relieved when Nikki came in looking for Daniel Bryan. It was nicer to have another girl to talk to in there. Phil in particular didn't really like public displays of affection so wasn't much fun in the communal locker room.

"Hey, what are you two doing after the show?" Nikki asked. "We were planning on finding a club or going for a drink"

"Sorry, I can't" Phil answered, taping his elbow. Nikki looked confused.

"How come?" Maria asked him.

"You can still go" he replied, not looking up.

"Why can't you?" she asked again.

"Jim called" he said simply, pointing to his hip.

"Ah" she said, realising. "Sorry Nikki, hospital appointment"

"Is everything okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Fine" Phil replied bluntly, clasping his hands and rotating his wrists in his signature style.

"Okay, catch you later then" she smiled, hugging Maria lightly before leaving to find her boyfriend. She knew Phil didn't mean to be sharp with people, he was just stressed. She couldn't help but get the feeling that there was something else on his mind too, something he wasn't telling her…

She put negative thoughts to the back of her mind, seeing it was time to go film. She kissed his cheek lightly, saying goodbye to the others before heading off.

"Hey guys I got a joke…A lady says to her doctor 'My husband has a bad habit of talking in his sleep, what should I do?' The doctor replies 'Give him a chance to speak when he's awake" John laughed, trying to break the tension that was still evident in the air.

There was a small ripple of laughter from a few of the guys, stopping abruptly when Phil stood up and shot Randy a glare.

"Got a problem Phillip?" Randy sneered.

"Yeah I got a fucking problem Randall, I think you should shut the fuck up" Phil replied angrily.

"Did I say something to offend you?" Randy asked in mock innocence.

"Keep your mouth shut around my fucking girlfriend" he retorted, squaring up to Randy.

"It's not my mouth that needs shutting, pretty sure it's hers…but I guess its difficult when she's always got a dick in it…"

Luckily John saw what was coming, knowing Randy well. He grabbed Phil as he swung for Randy in blind fury, Phil's fist missing by an inch as John pulled his arm away.

"I think you have a match to go warm up for" John raised his eyebrows at Randy, still holding onto a seething Phil.

Randy just smirked, grabbing his towel and leaving the room at his own pace.

Phil ripped his arms from John's grip and fought the urge to punch the locker in front of him. His chest was tight with rage; all he could think about was destroying Orton's face.

"Calm down. You give in to your emotions like that and they strip you of that belt" John lectured. "You want to be a champion, you behave like one"

"Did you hear what he fucking said!" Phil yelled, anger coursing through him.

"I don't care what he said…do you want to throw your career away Phil? You worked damn hard for this, don't just blow it on one meaningless comment from Randy. He knows how to push your buttons, it amuses him. Don't let him win"

Phil sat down and ran a hand over his face.

"You're welcome" John added, leaving to warm up.

That man thought he knew everything, especially about being champion. It pissed Phil off. Most memorably the time he won his first championship and John told him 'good job kid, I almost gave up on you'. Cena had such a sense of self-importance. But in reality, Phil knew what he was saying was true. Starting brawls in the locker room didn't sit well with management and certain people were always looking for an excuse to knock him down a peg or two.

* * *

><p>Maria finished filming for the night and headed back to the locker room to watch the rest of Phil's match. As she sat down, Zack Ryder joined her. She winced every time he landed painfully, wishing he'd had some time to rest before getting back in the ring.<p>

"He looks so tense" she mused out loud, assuming it was the pain he was in and the stress he was feeling.

"Not surprising after earlier" Zack chuckled.

"Surely he's not still bothered about that?"

"Are you kidding me? He nearly killed him" Zack laughed.

"No he didn't, it was just a little tiff" she said, furrowing her brow.

"I don't think we're talking about the same thing here honey. After you left, it all kicked off…Randy really pissed him off and I'd bet my life on the fact that if John didn't stop him, Phil would have kicked Randy's teeth down his throat and more…"

"What did he say?" she asked; eyes wide.

"You don't want to know…"

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading and thank you for your feedback! Let me know what you think, the more reviews, the sooner I update :)<strong>


	3. I'll Go Wherever You Will Go

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note - **Thanks for the amazing reviews guys! Much appreciated, they keep me motivated to write more for you :) Here's the next chapter, the song lyrics are from Charlene Soraia's version of 'Wherever You Will Go' - beautiful song.

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Three: ~**

_If I could, then I would_

_I'll go wherever you will go_

_Way up high or down low_

_I'll go wherever you will go_

They drove to the hospital in silence, Maria deciding it was best not to mention the fight with Randy until the more important matter of Phil's health was sorted. She'd waited patiently while he showered and changed, looking forward to getting back to the hotel and just relaxing.

They didn't have to wait long, priority given to athletes and other such well-known people. Maria waited outside, obviously not allowed in while they did the x-ray. When that was done, all that was left to do was wait. That was the worst part. Hospitals made her uneasy, and she could tell that they made Phil even more uneasy by his irritable mood. The clinical white surroundings felt unnatural. She couldn't wait to leave. The silence was becoming deafening so Maria casually slipped her hand into Phil's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She rested her head on his shoulder when she felt him squeeze back.

"You don't have to stay you know, it's been a long day. You can go get some sleep if you want" he offered.

She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows. "And leave you here all by yourself? I might not be the most exciting company right now but even CM Punk needs someone to hold his hand sometimes" she said, lifting their intertwined hands and moving his arm so it was around her shoulders.

"I so don't need anyone to hold my hand" he stuck his tongue out.

"Cause you're a big boy right?" she laughed.

"In more ways than one" he winked.

"You're so filthy" she giggled, punching him lightly in the stomach.

"You love it" he chuckled, kissing the top of her head.

They broke apart as another man waiting for an x-ray sat nearby. He was blatantly staring in their direction and at first; Phil thought he was staring at Maria. That didn't sit well with him considering the man was probably in his late fifties, early sixties. On closer inspection, he realised that it was actually him that was being stared at.

He was taken by surprise as the man took out his phone and randomly snapped a picture of him across the seating area with no prior warning. Then he promptly stood and approached the pair.

"You're CM Punk" he stated.

"…I am" Phil replied warily.

"Would you sign something for me?" he asked, rummaging through his pockets and finding an old receipt.

"Sure I guess…you got a pen?" he asked the man.

"No, surely you should have one…"

"Funnily enough, I don't normally take pens to hospitals" Phil raised his eyebrows at the commanding tone the man took with him.

"Well that's useful. How about a picture?"

"You just took one" Phil remarked.

"One with me in it"

"Look I'm really sorry man but now isn't a great time…hence the fact we're at the hospital. If you can track down a pen I'll sign for you…" he reasoned, getting agitated.

"Fuck it. If you're gonna be all dramatic about it then you can shove it. Think you're so fucking important…" the man grumbled as he walked away.

Maria placed a hand on Phil's thigh, silently telling him to let it go. It wasn't like this kind of thing didn't happen on an almost daily basis anyway. People didn't seem to understand that there were certain times in his life that he just wanted to be left alone. Waiting for results in a hospital was one of those.

Half an hour later and the doctor finally came out to give them the results. The news wasn't too bad. If Phil had regular physio on it and took care in the ring, he shouldn't need any time off. It was more of a repetitive strain injury. However he did warn that if he wasn't careful, surgery could be in the future. That wasn't something Phil wanted to hear. He was only thirty three, the thought of having hip surgery and being wheelchair bound for so long was unthinkable to him. He put that thought to the back of his mind and focussed on the positives, at least he was in okay shape right now.

Relieved to finally get back to the hotel, Phil sunk onto the bed and put his arms behind his head. They were both exhausted; it had been a pretty long day. Phil moved his head back, gesturing for Maria to join him. She complied, curling up next to him, snuggling into his chest which rose and fell softly. She breathed in his scent, one she missed deeply when he wasn't around. She couldn't even describe it; it was just Phil - musky and sexy. She lifted her head and rested her chin on his chest as he ran his hands through her long hair.

"What happened with Randy today?" she whispered.

"You heard about that huh?" he asked, shifting into a more comfortable position and pulling her closer.

"Zack mentioned you nearly knocked his teeth down his throat…" she said, lifting his shirt a little so she could trace circles on his stomach with her finger.

"I'll get Zack for ratting me out" he chuckled, tousling the ends of her hair.

"What happened?"

"He just riled me up the way only he can" he sighed.

"How?" she asked, curious.

"He was running his mouth and I snapped. He'll say anything to get a reaction. Anyway its fine, John stepped in. Nothing happened" he said, wanting to change the subject.

"Is something bothering you?" she asked, biting her lip as she looked deep into the olive green eyes she loved so much. They were normally sparkling with mischief, the kind of eyes that looked straight into your soul but lately there was something missing.

"I'm okay, just a lot of stuff on my mind. Work stuff" he clarified.

"I don't like it when you worry. You're such a strong person…it scares me when you're worried" she admitted.

"I'm not worried" he smiled a little, rolling over so he could have access to her lips. "Feel like going swimming tomorrow when the flight gets in?" he asked.

"Definitely" she grinned.

"I'm thinking you could wear that gorgeous bikini you have that I like so much" he mumbled, sucking gently on her neck.

"Mmm? Which one would that be?" she bit her lip as he pushed her dress up her legs and slithered down until he could attach his lips to her hipbone.

"You know I love them all…but I especially like the white one with the little frilly skirt" he whispered, sending vibrations along her skin.

"I think I can do that…for you" she gasped as he sucked the skin into his mouth and ran his teeth along it. "Phil…don't leave a mark" she breathed, arching into his touch.

"I can't be letting you walk around that pool looking like you do without showing everyone who owns your heart…and your body"

She wanted to stop him…it would definitely be visible in a bikini…but she just couldn't bring herself to stop the wonderful torture. His stubble ticked her stomach as he bit down on the spot. She groaned a mix of pain and pleasure. He moved back up her body, engaging her in a passionate kiss once more.

She loved the feel of his lip ring on her sensitive lips and the way his tongue stud swirled around her mouth never failed to make her heart race. As he unzipped the back of her dress and pulled it over her head, she buried her fingers in his soft hair, ruffling it like a puppy.

"How come cuddling always turns into sex?" she giggled.

"Because I can't resist showing you how much you turn me on" he whispered.

Phil spent the remainder of the night showing Maria just how much she made his head spin, ignoring the fact that they had a flight to catch at six am.

* * *

><p>The alarm clock blared, Phil pulling the blankets over his head and willing the noise to go away. Maria wriggled out of his grasp and managed to press the stop button before he dragged her back into his arms, her back pressed into his chest. It was undeniably warm, skin on skin but they absolutely couldn't miss this flight.<p>

"C'mon Philly, time to get up" she coaxed, kissing the bits of his arms she could reach.

"Mmmmm…I don't wanna" he grumbled, curling up.

"You don't have a choice I'm afraid" she smiled, trying to prise his arms away from her. When she eventually succeeded, she noticed his eyes follow her across the room and into the bathroom; probably because she wasn't wearing anything.

"Holy shit Phil!" she gasped.

"What did I do now?" he asked, yawning and stretching.

An unimpressed looking Maria exited the bathroom and pointed to the very obvious mark on her hip. It was slightly raised and deep red, turning purple where he bruised the skin.

"Sorry…got a little carried away" he grinned mischievously.

"Well next time I'll get a little carried away and leave you with marks all over your chest…we'll see what your fans think of the best in the world then won't we?" she scolded, dragging the blankets off him and forcing him up.

* * *

><p>As lovely as life was at the moment, Phil sensed things were about to turn upside down. That was what worried him…and though he wasn't the kind of guy to base concerns on something as insignificant as a 'feeling', his gut wasn't lying this time…<p>

They landed in sunny California, ready for a string of house shows. Today however, Vince announced was a day they could have for themselves. When the WWE took over a hotel, the pool area was always like a shoot for a sexy magazine. All the divas soaked up the sun in their tiny bikinis, the guys showing off and flexing their muscles in board shorts or for the bravest…Speedos.

As he'd requested, Maria wore the little white bikini he loved, blushing every time she caught someone staring at the hickey on her hip. Phil loved it, high-fiving Zack when he mentioned it.

"You're a lucky dude" Zack wolf-whistled, watching Maria chatting with the other girls.

"Believe me, I know. I count my lucky stars every day" Phil laughed.

As the words left his lips, his heart sank. Approaching in the usual pretentious suit and over-sized designer sunglasses, the man he hoped he would never see again - Shane McMahon. He didn't much like any of the McMahons but his least favourite was always Shane. Triple H came a close second, followed by Vince but Shane…that man made his blood boil.

Shane McMahon was one of the many men who sat in a boardroom and decided CM Punk wasn't big enough for WWE. He didn't have what it takes. He did his best to convince his dad to send 'that indie schmuck' back where he belonged. 'Look who's laughing now' he thought to himself, hoping it was a fleeting visit.

He watched in disgust as he walked up to the divas, eyes roaming over them like some kind of vulture stalking its' prey. Phil narrowed his eyes as he looked to be asking Maria a question. He knew it was a question because Maria titled her head to the side in the cute way she always did when she was thinking hard. Looking slightly uncomfortable, she left the group and joined them, Phil patting a spot on the sun lounger between his legs for her to sit.

Noting the look on Phil's face, she leaned in to whisper to him. "Did you know he was coming back?"

"I heard rumours…"

"Is that why you've been acting strange?" she asked, biting her lower lip.

"…hang on…when you say coming back?"

"He just told us…" she said regretfully, stroking his sun-kissed face. "He's taking his old role back in talent management for a while"

"Fuck" Phil replied, having no other words to describe how much he hated this new development. He forced a smile as Shane came over, grinning at Maria. Phil squinted up at him.

"Long time, no see Punk" he commented.

"True that. How did the solo business venture go?" Phil asked, making little effort to hide the lack of sincerity in the question.

Shane laughed. "I've missed this place. Seems I have a lot of catching up to do. I heard you have gold, I almost fell off my chair" he sneered.

"Not just any gold, your WWE champion" Phil grinned at the disdain in Shane's eyes. "And Zack here's one of your champions too, representing the company at the top now" Phil added, emphasising the word 'your' as Shane's smiled faltered. He knew how much Shane detested the pair of them, he definitely didn't approve of giving the gold to the likes of them.

"Nice to see you back Maria" Shane said, changing the subject.

"Thank you" she replied politely. Now if it was anyone else, Phil would put it down to the angle he was standing at, but being Shane, Phil could confidently say that he was blatantly staring at Maria's chest. Reading his mind, she slipped her hands into his and leaned back into him. Shane raised his eyebrows, clearly unaware they had re-kindled their relationship.

Always wanting to push people that one step further, Phil dragged a hand down to rest just under her hip, knowing Shane's eyes would follow. He got the desired reaction when Shane's eyes fell on the hickey and he coughed awkwardly.

"I'll catch you later, we'll be getting reacquainted in a meeting at some point this week" he added, leaving to harass some of the other superstars.

"You're terrible" Maria laughed, pinching his leg.

"He's a fucking pervert" Phil grumbled.

She turned around and pressed a kiss to his lips, assuring him she was well aware of what was going on.

"Bros…feeling like a bit of a third wheel here…" Zack complained.

"Awww" Maria sympathised.

"Sorry man, I'm taken" Phil chuckled.

"But if Maria ever decides to dump your hobo ass…I'll be second in line right?"

"You know it bro" Phil laughed.

"I'll leave you two to your little bromance then…but Zack, you better watch where you're putting your hands…he's all mine" she winked and joined the other divas catching some rays.

"Oi! Champs! Bet we can kick your ass at volleyball!" Cena taunted from the pool. Not one to turn down a challenge, Phil cannon-balled into the pool, earning him disapproving looks from the girls he splashed. Zack followed, and started what eventually ended up as a five vs five match. Cena, Christian, Mark Henry, Ziggler and Swagger against Punk, Zack, Evan, Kofi and Daniel Bryan.

* * *

><p>The next day, everyone was called in for a meeting. The second he saw who was leading the meeting, he snapped into one of those moods where he couldn't help but find everything funny. He became like the naughty child in a school classroom, snickering at the back.<p>

"I'll keep this as short as possible. Firstly, I want to say how wonderful it is to be back and catch up with all of you. I've missed the place where I grew up" Shane began. "I'm pleased to announce I've been given a leading role once more…and I hope to be getting heavily involved in the talent that are representing us off television. I'm also taking a creative role, developing some new storylines. Things are going to be changing soon, and I hope you're all as excited as me. Thank you and have a great show"

Phil scoffed. He knew exactly what he meant by change. He didn't want guys like Phil pulling the train so to speak. Surely Vince wouldn't let him come in and destroy all the work they'd done to pull the company out of the boring stalemate it was in? Regardless, Phil wasn't going down without a fight. Shane could kiss his ass. He had power now, the fans loved him, they couldn't just push him back down the card…

**Thanks for reading and thank you for your feedback! Let me know what you think, the more reviews, the sooner I update :)**


	4. When You Find You, Come Back To Me

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** Thank you for your lovely reviews, keep it up! Sorry it's a little late, exams and whatnot. Here' the next chapter, hope you like it! The lyrics are 'Come Back To Me' by David Cook.

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Four: ~**

_So I'll let you go I'll set you free_

_And when you see what you need to see_

_When you find you_

_Come back to me_

Phil was working in the practice ring with Daniel Bryan. They were trying out some submission holds. Hearing a cough behind them, Phil released the hold and turned to the source of the noise.

"Taking a break guys?" Shane enquired.

"No…I believe we were practicing submission manoeuvres" Phil corrected.

"Things have changed a lot since I was here, pretty sure the old school wrestlers didn't have to practice their submission holds" he chuckled.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Phil glared at him.

"Hmm, nothing…just didn't think a submission hold was particularly difficult"

Phil could tell Bryan was itching to say something but held his tongue in the presence of the people who considered themselves 'in charge'. Phil had no such problems telling them what he really thought.

"Oh, so you're one of the old-timers stuck in the past who think submissions have no place in modern pro wrestling huh?" Phil asked, attitude emanating from every pore.

"No Punk, I think you'll find I'm a man of the future, and the future is kids. Kids don't want to see two sweaty men lying on the mat…they want excitement" he sneered.

"Well Daniel Bryan here, who I'm sure you'll have never seen wrestle what with you being so out of touch with the company, happens to be a submission specialist and considered by many to be one of the best if not the best wrestler in the world. And not everyone shares your jaded view, he's another one of your champions…world heavyweight to be precise" Phil snapped in response, watching Shane's blood boil.

"Well that explains the ratings drop doesn't it" Shane chuckled, walking away.

"Phil leave it" Bryan said, placing a hand on his shoulder. The irate expression on Phil's face saying it all.

"I can't stand that man" Phil growled.

"I know…most of us agree with you. He likes the big guys…like his dad I guess"

"Yeah but at least his dad sees what's good for business too…what's good for the wrestling community as a whole"

* * *

><p>"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Phil yelled, not caring who heard him.<p>

"Calm down…" Zack tried to diffuse the situation.

"I won't calm fucking down! What the fuck?" he shouted, storming off to find Vince. He burst into the office, wielding the source of his anger - a piece of paper. More specifically, his schedule for the next few weeks.

At first Vince looked startled that anyone had the audacity to just storm into his office like that. However on seeing who it was, he'd been expecting it.

"What the hell is going on?" Phil asked through clenched teeth.

"With what?" Vince asked, though he knew exactly what Punk was talking about.

"The schedule! You can't ask me to do this! This is crazy!" he argued, struggling to control his temper.

"It's a new initiative suggested in the meeting. We're giving it a try. Everyone has to make sacrifices sometimes Phil" Vince reasoned.

"Sacrifices? Are you kidding me? I've made so many more sacrifices than you'll ever know for this company! I've given up seeing my family, relationships and friendships to jump through hoops for this business! Every time you called me to say one of your top guys has called in sick or been suspended for taking steroids, I'd be on the next flight to fill-in at the signing or press-meet for you! I was nothing but reliable and what did I ever get for it? Nothing. Now I'm the champ and you pull this? I'd bet my entire years salary that this wasn't your idea" he raised his voice, losing it.

"Firstly Phil, I'm your boss and you'll address me as such. Don't raise your voice to me and don't suggest ideas are not my own" he said calmly.

"Surely you're smart enough to see that this is suicide? Taking me out of house shows to send me round the country doing public appearances? How can the champion not appear at house shows?" he asked in total disbelief.

"Actually, you'll still be doing some of the house shows. It's just a trial of something new. Your travel expenses are covered and these sorts of things are tied into your contract Phil…I'm sorry if you're not happy about it but it is what it is. When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. I appreciate that you're a reliable worker, keep it like that please" Vince said as the phone rang. He gestured towards the door as he took the call.

Phil ran an angry hand over his face, fuming. He couldn't believe it. As if the current schedule wasn't bad enough, he was going to be travelling more, getting even less sleep and doing more work. Trying to calm down, he took a few deep breaths and headed back to his locker room.

"What did he say?" Zack asked.

"That this is some new initiative that they're trialling. It's ridiculous…why are they doing this to me?" Phil collapsed onto the bench, head in his hands.

"Do you think it's got something to do with…?" Zack started.

"Oh there's no doubt in my mind this was Shane fucking McMahon's doing. What's my sister gonna say when I tell her I can't be home for her birthday? What the fuck is Maria gonna say?" he sighed.

"They'll understand…it's your job"

"But I missed three birthdays in a row and I told her I was pretty sure I'd be around this time…and Maria…you know how little we used to see each other" he ran a hand through his hair.

"They said a trial…it's not forever and surely they'll alternate and make someone else take a turn" Zack offered some words of comfort.

"Maybe" Phil sighed frustratedly.

* * *

><p>"…and that's all we have time for tonight"<p>

"Tune in next week to see more high-flying, exciting action on Afterburn"

"I've been Maria"

"And I've been Justin. See you next week" they waved off as the cameras stopped rolling.

"Good show guys, that's a wrap" the producer called as they finished filming.

"I'm gonna go…I have to tell Phil the good news" Maria beamed as she waved goodbye to her colleagues. She practically ran all the way to his locker room, stopping just outside the door to collect her thoughts and pull her tight grey skirt down a little. She ran a hand through her voluminous red hair and knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" she heard the distinct voice of Zack Ryder reply.

"Can I come in? It's Maria"

There was a few seconds of silence before Zack opened the door.

"I'll leave you in peace" he said, holding the door so she could enter and closing it as he left.

"Guess what?" she asked, biting her lip excitedly. When Phil didn't respond, his eyes still on the floor she continued.

"They called me into the office earlier, they offered me a contract for three years!" she squealed, ready to jump up and down. She failed to hide her disappointment when Phil barely even looked up from re-doing the tape on his wrists.

"Phil?"

He looked up.

"I thought you'd be happy…" she said softly, suddenly feeling her mood drop. Her eyes welled up a little, wondering why he wasn't happy for her.

"I am…I'm so proud of you" he said, patting his lap for her to sit. She remained standing.

"Why aren't you happy? You're lying to me" she said, wiping angrily at a traitorous tear that escaped over her eyelid.

"I'm so happy for you Ri, you don't even know…you worked so hard for this" he said, standing and taking her in his arms.

"What's wrong then?" she asked, another tear sliding down her cheek and onto his shirt.

"I really don't want to bring you down…you should be celebrating"

"I'm already down now Phil! Just tell me what's going on!" she pleaded.

"They handed out the schedules for this month and they're sending me all over the place on signings and stuff…I'm only gonna be with the tour once or twice a week" he said sadly.

Maria was silent, trying to process what that meant. "For how long?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know…so far the next month"

"I don't want to be away from you again Phil" she whispered, feeling weak but unable to stop the feeling of déjà vu spreading through her.

"I know…we'll figure it out though, I promise" he kissed the top of her head and placed a hand under her chin, tipping her face up towards his.

"You can't make that promise Phil…" she trailed off, unable to look him in the eye.

"We'll be okay, we've learned from the past" he said, kissing her jaw because her face was turned away. She shivered as his lips and the cool metal of his lip ring made contact with her skin. As she turned her face to his, he wasted no time in pressing his lips to hers. Actions speak louder than words, and he wanted to show her that this was a minor speed bump in their relationship. Deep down he was worried, because he was scared that at some point he would once again have to choose between his career and his girlfriend…and he didn't want to face that decision.

* * *

><p>Maria woke up on the morning Phil was due to fly out to New York, three hours away from Afterburn filming and found a bunch of flowers on the pillow next to her. She nearly fell off the bed in surprise; she couldn't recall a time he ever bought flowers…<p>

She blinked the sleep away, reaching over and gently pulling them closer. There were an array of different flowers and colours and she brought them to her nose and inhaled deeply. They were held in pink tissue with a silver ribbon. A card was attached. She couldn't keep the huge smile off her face as she carefully unpicked the seal of the envelope.

_Maria, _

_Happy two month anniversary. Here's a quick poem I wrote for you:_

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue,_

_I suck at poems,_

_But this one will do_

_I love you in ways words cannot explain_

_Though when you sing, you always make it rain_

_You're beauty to me is second to none,_

_If I have your heart I've already won_

_That was shit I know but I'll make it up to you_

_So don't for a second be feeling blue_

_I might be away for a little while_

_But check underneath the washing pile_

_Phil xxx_

Her eyes widened as she clasped a hand over her mouth. When they were together years ago, they didn't ever celebrate anniversaries, even important ones like their first year together…Phil was never keen and they agreed it wasn't a big deal. So this was a complete surprise. Men would never understand how something as simple as flowers could make a girl feel like the only girl in the world. She read through the card a few more times, holding the flowers close. Reading the last line, she furrowed her brow.

She pulled back the blankets and stepped out of bed. As she padded into the bathroom, she saw the pile of dirty clothes unceremoniously tossed into the corner and curiously rifled through them. She gasped as her gaze fell on a present wrapped in pink paper, a silver bow around it to match the flowers. She took it and walked back to the bed, climbing in. She opened it slowly, carefully, making sure not to rip the paper. Inside was a long, red velvet box. She flipped up the lid, the case lined with cream silk.

An overwhelmed smile appeared on her lips as she stared down at the beautiful silver necklace complete with heart pendant; a tiny diamond in the centre of the heart. "It's beautiful" she whispered to herself, almost scared to touch it. This was definitely the most romantic thing Phil had ever done. As she took in the pretty design, caressing the box in her hands, she failed to notice Phil standing in the doorway.

When something moving caught her eye, she looked up. He smiled and walked up to the bed. Maria reached up to embrace him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Do you like it?"

"Phil…I love it…I love you" she kissed him.

"Do you want me to put it on you?"

She nodded and turned around, holding her hair over one shoulder so he could take the necklace from the box and fasten it. When he was done, he accompanied her to the mirror. It was stunning. She watched through the mirror as Phil gently fingered the chain, sending goosebumps up and down her spine. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her neck.

"I have an hour…what do you want to do?" he asked, wishing he didn't have to catch his flight so soon.

"Cuddle" she answered simply, leading him to the bed and lying down, feeling him settle in behind her. "Thank you so much for the flowers and the necklace Phil…now I have something to remind me you're near me…even when you have to be far away" she placed her hands over his which were resting over her stomach.

"It's not for long, I'll be back soon" he sighed, burying his face in her hair and drawing lazy circles where her top rode up her midsection.

* * *

><p>No matter how much she told herself she'd see him soon, it didn't make letting him go any easier. As he dragged his suitcase to the door of their hotel room, she followed him sadly. They decided it was best she didn't accompany him to the airport, she'd get too upset. She watched him get the last of his things together, wearing a plain white tank top and grey ¾ sweatpants. She hadn't even put any make-up on or brushed her hair. All her attention that morning was on enjoying being in Phil's arms while she could. She wanted to remember how he felt, commit it to memory so when she was alone she could hold onto the fact that he'd be back soon. Knowing that this wasn't even necessary, just some stupid new company idea didn't make it any easier. But he had to do it and she didn't want to make it any harder for him.<p>

He checked he had his wallet, keys, bags and jacket before leaving them by the door.

"Right, that's everything" he mused, turning to face her. He walked to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders. "I'll see you in a week" he kissed her. "I love you"

"Love you too" she said, staring down at the floor. She didn't want him to see, but he saw the tears escaping her eyes. It was all too familiar, the goodbyes. But this wasn't permanent, it was going to work out, they'd already been ripped apart once…

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading and thank you for your feedback! Let me know what you think, the more reviews, the sooner I update :)<strong>


	5. I Only Miss You When I'm Breathing

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** Thanks for the amazing reviews and support for the story! That's what makes writing worthwhile! Hope you like the new chapter, the lyrics are from Jason Derulo's 'Breathing'.

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Five: ~**

_I only miss you when I'm breathing_

_Without your love don't know how I'd survive_

_It's you it's you that's keeping me alive_

_I only miss you when I'm breathing_

Sitting in the airport terminal waiting for his flight, Phil dialled the number ready to have the conversation he'd been dreading.

"Hello?" came the answer down the line.

"Shailene?"

"Phil" he could hear the smile in her tone. "What's up, I've missed hearing your annoying voice"

"Not much, work's crazy as usual…how are you? How are the 'rents?" he asked.

"I'm good, they're fine too. Everyone's good" she told him.

"Dean better be behaving himself" Phil lectured, referring to her boyfriend of three years.

"Phil…" she whined.

"I'm your big brother, it's my job" he laughed.

"What's going on then?"

"I'm at the airport, flying out to New York" he sighed. "That's why I was calling actually…"

"Oh?" she asked, probably knowing where this was going. It was a regular occurrence.

"I know I said it was quite possible I'd be able to make it back for your birthday but the schedules changed…I'm really sorry, they have me flying all over the place on signings and stuff" he explained sadly.

"Oh…that's okay…don't worry about it, it's no big deal anyway" he could hear the disappointment in her voice, even though she tried to hide it.

"I'm really sorry, I wish I could come home…I left your present with Maria though, she's still going to be home then…"

"Okay" she replied quietly.

"I miss you little sis, I'll see you soon, I promise…the next chance I get I'll be back" he told her.

"Okay…I miss you too. Love you Phil"

"Love you too Shay" he said, hanging up.

* * *

><p>Maria lay in the cold bed, finding it impossible to get to sleep. This was only the third night they'd been apart and she already couldn't bear it. She tossed and turned, stuck in that phase before sleep comes where everything and anything is whirring around your brain. She couldn't stop thinking about him…the way he would stroke her side gently when he couldn't sleep, how his breath felt on the back of her neck and how she fit neatly into his chest. She wanted to hear his voice so badly…<p>

_I miss you so much_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo_

She wanted to call him, but she was worried she would wake him. If he managed to get to sleep, waking him was the worst thing she could do. A text would get his attention if he was awake, but it wouldn't wake him up. Her phone rang and she picked up immediately.

"Phil?"

"I miss you too" he sighed down the line.

"How did the signing go?" she asked, pulling the duvet tighter around her and enjoying the sound of him breathing.

"It was okay, nothing special. Met some cute kids"

"Aww" she smiled, yawning.

"How was filming?" he asked.

"It was really great; they've got me doing loads of stuff. One of the crew even said he over heard someone saying I was in the running for a presenting job on the new network"

"Oh, that's amazing Ri, they're idiots if they don't pick you" he smiled.

"Aww, that's sweet. I love you Phil" she whispered, closing her eyes.

"I love you too. You sound tired, you should get some sleep"

"I know…I feel better now" she smiled against the pillow. She couldn't help it; his voice always made her smile and sent chills down her spine.

"I can't wait to see you, not long now…what is it? Like three days?" he asked.

"Yep…three days seems ages though" she said sadly.

"It'll be Monday before you know it" he told her warmly. "You're still going to Shailene's tomorrow right?"

"Yeah of course…you don't think she'd rather I wasn't there though do you? Seeing as she doesn't get to see her brother and the last time she saw me was years ago before we broke-up?" she bit her lip nervously.

"Ri she'll be excited to see you again…don't be worried about it. You two used to get on really well. I feel like shit though, having to miss it again"

"It'll be okay, she knows how hard you work. You wouldn't have the career you do if not"

"I just feel guilty" he sighed

"I know…I'll speak to her tomorrow, I'm sure she's okay about it"

"Okay…goodnight" he told her.

"I'll call you tomorrow okay? Night"

"Speak to you tomorrow, I love you" he breathed.

"I love you too" she said, reluctantly hanging up and drifting into a light sleep.

* * *

><p>Maria picked her way through the cars parked all over the road outside Phil's younger sisters' Chicago home. She chose a pair of flat pink ballet pumps and a pretty pink baby doll dress. His parents would probably be there and she wanted to make a good impression. While it was true that she'd met them once before, it was a quick visit and awkward to say the least. She didn't even know anyone else who was going.<p>

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door, clutching the present in one hand and her jacket in the other.

A woman who Maria recognised as Phil's older sister opened the door.

"Wow, Maria…haven't seen you in a very long time" she greeted her, kissing her cheek.

"I know it's been too long. Phil's so sorry he can't be here" she said sadly.

"Shay mentioned it…good to see you though" she smiled.

"You too" she told her, stepping inside and leaving her jacket on the arm of the couch. The house was flooded with friends and family, most of who Maria had never met. She spotted Shailene in the corner and headed over.

"Happy birthday!" she smiled, handing her the present Phil had chosen.

"Thanks" she took it, placing it on the pile to open later. "By the way, Maria this is Dean, Dean this is Maria" she introduced them. "Dean is my boyfriend" she explained to Maria. "And Maria is Phil's girlfriend"

"Nice to meet you" he smiled.

They pointed her in the direction of drinks and feeling awkward already, she grabbed a can of Pepsi. Seeing that Phil's mother was standing just to her left, she felt rude not saying hello.

"Mrs Brooks, how are you?" she asked politely. The woman turned to look at her, squinting as she tried to remember if she should know this girl. She had bushy brown hair that framed her face and reached just below her chin and piercing brown eyes.

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, Maria shifted her weight to her other foot and smiled. Suddenly the woman's expression changed as she realised who she was.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned.

"I'm Maria…Phil's girlfriend?"

"You were…you were that playboy model weren't you? Why are you here?" she waggled a finger in her face.

"Phil and I are together…he couldn't make it so I brought Shailene's present" she said quietly.

"That boy never did learn from his mistakes" she tutted, wandering off. Maria took a deep breath and took her drink into the other room. She found herself chatting to Dean on the couch. He seemed a lovely guy, friendly and intelligent. He'd just gained his paramedics license. He had dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and a charming charisma. A few minutes later Shailene joined them.

"How's softball going?" Maria asked her, remembering the times she and Phil would watch her play.

"It's kinda just something I do on weekends now" she smiled, chewing gum. "I'm training to be an accountant at the moment"

"Wow that's amazing" Maria told her, pleased that she was making a good life for herself.

She looked up to find Phil's father standing over them. Mrs Brooks was fussing around the kitchen.

"Dean will you be a dear and help me with the cake?" she shouted. He obliged, Maria wondering how Dean had managed to win over Phil's parents while she was clearly failing.

Phil's dad was big. He had dark hair and olive eyes like his son.

"I see your brother thinks he's too important to spend time with his family again" he shook his head.

"Dad" Shailene warned.

"I see he sent you…he always had bad taste in women. Always goes for beauty but no brains. Another ambitious model hmm? If you ask me, he's much better off finding a nice girl with a stable job to settle down with. But being how he is he makes the same mistakes…"

"Dad, stop it right now" Shailene stood up angrily. "Maria is Phil's girlfriend. It's my birthday and you're making a scene like you always do! Maria's with the WWE, on TV presenting and doing a hell of a lot more with her life than you did. I want her here so just keep your comments to yourself"

"Don't you dare speak to me like that" he snapped. With perfect timing, Dean entered with the cake as the room erupted in song, quickly diffusing the situation. Maria managed to make it through that, but as Shailene began to unwrap her presents, she had to step outside for a while. She called the only person she wanted to talk to in that moment.

"Hello?" he answered, sounding like he was eating something.

"Phil?" she replied, bursting into tears at the sound of his voice.

"What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly concerned.

"Nothing…I just wanted to speak to you" she said, trying to compose herself.

"Are you at Shailene's?" he asked.

"Mmm"

"What did they say?" was his next question.

"What do you mean?"

"My parents…what did they say to you?" he asked, guessing what had upset her.

"Nothing…it's fine" she sniffed, wiping at her eyes.

"Shit, I was really hoping they wouldn't be there" he sighed.

"Its fine, I'm just being stupid"

"It's not fine. What did they say?" he asked again.

"Not now Phil…Shay and Dean are coming out here"

"Can you put Shay on the phone?" he asked her.

"Phil wants to talk to you" she handed the phone to her as she wiped the mascara from her face with a tissue Dean handed her. She watched as Phil talked to his sister, Shailene nodding every now and then. Then she handed Maria her phone back.

"I'll call you later okay; don't listen to anything they say. I love you" he told her.

"Love you too" she replied, hanging up. She sat down on the step outside the little two storey house that Dean and Shailene shared as they joined her.

"Don't listen to anything my parents say…honestly. They didn't like Dean either until they found out he was a paramedic. That to them was impressive. They still have a dig about how he works nights and when we have children I'll be the one who never gets any sleep" she rolled her eyes.

"I just don't want them to hate me" Maria pinched the bridge of her nose frustratedly.

"They don't hate you…don't spend your time trying to win their approval" Shay advised. "Listen, no girl has made Phil happy the way he was when he was with you back then. Just don't let it go again…not many people get a second chance" she placed a reassuring hand on Maria's arm. "Me and him are super close, he can be a tough one to read but I know you and him were a match made in heaven. We stuck together as kids…he took a lot of crap for all four of us so we didn't all get punished. I love him to bits so don't be doubting things because of some meaningless comments. And don't you dare be breaking his heart" she winked playfully.

"Thanks Shay, from the bottom of my heart" Maria said, hugging her.

"Now enough of this soppy shit, how about I open whatever Phil got me?" she laughed, sounding just like her older brother. She tore open the pink paper, finding a CM Punk hoody.

"I should have expected this…the arrogant douche" she laughed. As she opened it out to put it on, a small package fell out with a piece of paper. Maria read it over Shay's shoulder.

_Lil Sis, _

_Hope you love your presents, after all they are from me. Miss you like crazy. I have another little surprise for you when I finally get back._

_Loves and hugs_

_Phil xxx_

She opened the package, finding a little charm bracelet inside with some vouchers. On the back it said '_I picked one charm for you, and you can use these to choose the others. I have bad taste. That is all'._

The bracelet was clearly gold and the charm Phil had chosen was bore the number 31. It was a family thing, like the tattoo behind his ear.

"Shit…I might actually have to thank him this year" she smiled, fastening the bracelet around her wrist. "It's beautiful…he's outdone himself" she laughed.

* * *

><p>Phil grabbed a cheese salad sub as he was granted a break from the seemingly endless interviews. As he took a bite, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He was filled with dread as he heard Maria crying on the other end of the phone. He hated it when she cried. He asked to speak to his sister.<p>

"Shay, don't let her think she needs to make them like her…will you have a chat with her?"

The thought of her having to put up with interrogation and snide comments from them made his skin crawl. It's probably best that he wasn't there, because there was no way he would just let them upset her like that. He'd probably have started a shouting match in the middle of the party…that wouldn't have made anything better but he never could hold his tongue.

"I hope everyone's well and you're having a fantastic birthday. I'll see you soon okay? Love you" he said, saying goodbye to Maria too before hanging up. One of the P.R. ladies told him he was due for another interview and photo op with a magazine next. He fucking loved photo shoots. They were fucking great. Make up, flashing lights and airbrushed images of his grumpy face. He couldn't think of anything more fun.

"You can't text in here" the photographer whined as he whipped his phone out in the middle of the shoot.

"Hmmm, funny that because that's exactly what I'm doing" he shrugged as he laughed at the text he received.

_Thanks for the hoody dickhead. The bracelet's beautiful. Maria's fine now. You better come home soon or I'll hunt you down ;)_

_Shay x_

_I'll be home soon. We need a catch up. Plus Colt's missing me ;) Glad you liked it._

_Punk x_

* * *

><p>Shane McMahon sat in his plush office at his expensive oak desk, a stack of papers in front of him. He grinned as he read through them. He definitely wanted to keep Maria around, signing her to a contract was a good move both business-wise and in terms of scenery. He smirked at that thought. She was hot. Getting Phil out of the way was a great idea too. His face lit up at the thought of how angry Phil would be now he had to travel even more. Ready to set the wheels into motion, he pulled a newly drawn-up schedule out of the drawer to his left.<p>

He pressed the button on the intercom. "Send Kelly in" he instructed.

He watched as the blonde was shown into the office and took a seat. Her short dress rode up her thighs as she adjusted her position. She tucked her hair behind her ears and placed her hands on her knees, waiting for further instruction.

"Kelly…how would you like to go entertain Phil at some signings for me?" he smirked, the next part of his of his plan was about to fall into place…

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading and thank you for your feedback! Let me know what you think, the more reviews, the sooner I update :)<strong>


	6. As Long As You're Here

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** Sorry sorry sorry for the lateness! Hope the wait was worth it :) Here's the next chapter, love and hugs.

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Six: ~**

_Don't go,_

_I don't know where you come from_

_But you're everywhere I go_

_I don't know why you chose me_

_But as long as you're here, I don't need to know_

For reasons beyond that of getting to go to work in a job she loved, Maria was especially excited for this Monday. Today was Sunday, which meant that she only had to wait one more day until she saw Phil again. And she was going out of her mind in anticipation. In a few months they'd gone from never speaking to each other, to spending nearly every waking moment together and now to barely seeing one another. It took an emotional toll on her, but she reminded herself that it was temporary, and that Phil was definitely worth the wait.

_One more day_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

_I can't wait_

_Punk x_

_I miss you so much, I have no idea how I did it last time :( It kills me knowing we work together and still don't get to be together right now_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

_I know, but it's not forever. I miss you too, but I get to see you tomorrow and we have lots of catching up to do ;) _

_Punk x_

_Oh really? Planning something are we? ;) naughty boy ;)_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

_You'll have to wait and see :P I'll see you at the show tomorrow, can't wait to see your beautiful face_

_Punk x_

_And I can't wait to see that sexy butt of yours in those trunks again ;) Night baby, love you_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

_Love you too, night beautiful _

_Punk x_

* * *

><p>Phil felt the electricity from the crowd and clasped his hands together against his face.<p>

"Nap time!" he yelled, lining The Miz up for the GTS. He connected and pinned him for the victory, the crowd deafening. Beads of sweat rolled down his neck as he jumped down from the ring. Fans in the front rows screamed things at him; he always heard some amusing things from them.

"CM PUNK, CM PUNK, CM PUNK!"

"I LOVE YOU CM PUNK!"

"CM PUNK SUCKS!"

"MARRY ME PUNK!"

He chuckled at that last one. He pushed his way through the curtain and towards the communal locker room. As he turned the corner, he spotted Maria. Resisting the urge to shout her, he snuck up quietly. She was talking to Nikki and as he was spotted by the latter, he held a finger over his mouth signalling her to keep quiet. She obliged and Maria was oblivious as he quickly covered her mouth with one hand and picked her up by the waist in his other. Her screams were muffled by his hand as she kicked and struggled.

"Owww!" he yelled as he felt her bite down on his hand. He released her to inspect the damage. She realised who it was on hearing his voice and spun around.

"Phil!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck.

"You bit me!" he whined, rubbing his sore hand.

"I'm sorry" she pulled a sad face and grabbed his hand, placing a kiss on it.

She grinned, looking up at his face.

"You got your pretty dress all sweaty" he pointed to the front of her tight black dress.

"I don't care" she told him, losing herself in his olive green eyes the way she always did. No longer caring that they were in a public hallway, she placed her hands at the nape of his neck and reached up to kiss him. He leaned down, meeting her halfway and unlike usual, he too kissed her like they were alone. She had missed the feel of his lips on hers so much, she savoured every second.

She heard Nikki cough behind her. "So…I'll uh…leave you guys to play tonsil hockey…guess I'll see you later" she pulled a face and left the awkward situation. Oblivious, Maria continued to reacquaint herself with the inside of her boyfriend's mouth until she reluctantly pulled back for air. When he kissed her like that, with such urgency, it took her breath away. He kissed her forehead and took her hand, leading her into the locker room. A few wolf-whistles followed from some of the guys but he didn't care, he was just happy to see Maria again.

"I'm gonna shower okay, I'll be back in five" he kissed the top of her head affectionately, eyeballing Orton before leaving. She pulled her dress down; aware it had ridden up her legs a little during their passionate encounter. She sat down next to Zack who was struggling to unlace his boots.

"Nice to have him back?" he winked.

"So nice" she smiled. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Orton smirking in her direction but she ignored it, avoiding eye contact.

"I feel bad for whoever gets the hotel room next to yours tonight" he chuckled.

"Zack!" she slapped his arm lightly, blushing.

"What?" he grinned cheekily.

* * *

><p>Phil got out of the shower and changed in a hurry. He knew he didn't have much time before he flew out somewhere new again.<p>

"Ready to go?" he asked Maria, grabbing her bag as well as his own.

She nodded and entwined her hand with his.

"See ya later dude, might catch you back at the hotel" he nodded to Zack and a few of the other guys.

They left via the back entrance, through the chilly air of the parking lot. They found Phil's rental and he threw the bags in the back, eager to get inside the warmth of the car. Before he could open the driver's door, Maria pressed his back to the car and kissed him again. Entangling her fingers in his still damp hair, she allowed him to push her lips apart and run his tongue stud along the sensitive areas of her mouth. That was one of the best parts about their newly rekindled relationship; they already knew each other's bodies inside and out.

He pulled away lightly and placed a hand behind her head. He pressed his forehead to hers and she could hear him catching his breath.

"It's cold, let's go" he breathed, climbing into the car. He drove quickly on the way back, keen to get back to the room. It was nearing 1am and he had to fly out again 10am this morning.

The second Phil flung open the door and closed it behind him; Maria's lips were on his. He dropped the bags and rested his hands on her hips as she kissed down his neck.

"Your dress is dirty remember? I think you should take it off" he whispered, trying to remember where the zipper was on this one. Luckily she lifted her left arm to run her hand along his jaw, giving him the chance to reach under and unzip the side of her dress. Thanking the person who designed strapless dresses, he watched as it fell to the floor.

"Phil…" she mumbled against his collar bone, pulling his shirt over his head and reattaching her lips to his soft skin.

"Mmm?" he asked, tracing her spine and watching the goosebumps appear at the lightest of touches.

"Who's in the rooms next to us?" she panted as he kicked off his shoes and socks. He wrinkled his face at the strange question.

"I dunno…Zack I think. Not sure about the other side. Why?"

"No reason" she smirked, gesturing to him to come towards the bedroom. As much as he loved watching her walk away in just her underwear and heels, he wasn't in the mood to do as he was told. "Come on" she beckoned him seductively. He just about had enough will power to resist; the average man would have been a speechless mess on the floor by now.

He shook his head. "How about you come back here…we'll be spending plenty of time in the bed later" he raised his eyebrows. She grinned and he was mesmerised by the way her hips moved as she walked back to him. She knelt down in front of him and pulled down his sweatpants, taking his boxers with them. He kicked them off and held out a hand to help her up.

Knowing exactly how to push her buttons, he switched positions, moving behind her and pressing her into the door with her back facing him. He kissed a path down her shoulder to between her shoulder blades, unhooking her bra. It fell to the floor as he continued to kiss a trail down her spine. He could feel her ragged breathing as he pressed her harder against the cold surface of the door. She was trembling with anticipation as he returned to a standing position, aware that she couldn't see him in the stance she was currently trapped in. He let her feel his breath on the back of her neck as he turned her head enough to kiss her. When she was suitably distracted, he slipped a hand into her underwear.

She gasped and wrapped an arm around his neck. Whining as he traced slow circles with his fingers, she pushed her hips back into him, wearing away his resolve to stay in control. He knew she could feel his arousal pressed into her lower back and the way she undulated her back against him drove him crazy. When he couldn't resist any longer, he turned her around to face him and lifted one of her legs off the floor. Pushing her underwear aside, their bodies joined in the most intimate way. Maria moaned, clinging to his chest with everything she had.

He thrust his hips against her gently, causing a dull thud against the door every time he pushed forwards. Deciding that while erotic, against the door was a little uncomfortable; he picked her up and carried her to the bed. Her face was flushed and her hair a mess as she lay waiting for him. The sight of her like that made him wonder what the hell he was thinking letting her get away last time.

He climbed over her and prepared to continue where he left off before being caught off guard as she flipped their positions. She straddled him, kissing, licking and nibbling as many parts of his body as she could reach. She paid special attention to his stomach, one of her favourite parts of his body. It was smooth and soft, rising and falling with his breathing. Tracing her way up to his chest, she nuzzled the stubble on it. She loved his manly chest, especially when he left a light covering of hair on it.

Deciding it was time to repay him for the hickey he gave her, she attached her lips to the line where his thigh met his lower torso and formed a seal with her mouth. He groaned as she sucked the soft skin in and out of her mouth, biting down and then soothing it with her tongue over and over. When she was done, an angry red mark remained.

Wanting to get back to the good stuff, she pulled off her underwear and kicked off her heels, climbing on top of him and moaning as he filled her. She set the pace that she was comfortable with, resting her hands on his shoulders for leverage. As he moved with her, bucking his hips up, her moans increased in volume significantly. She couldn't help but cry out as her climax hit her. She shuddered on top of him, letting him flip her back over.

Suddenly, it clicked. Phil realised why she asked who was in the rooms next door. She was trying to be quiet, fearing their co-workers would hear. He made it his mission to make her come undone and lose all control. She was generally quite vocal in the bedroom, but when she was really in the mood, she could be something else. He entered her quickly, setting a fast pace immediately. She had barely finished riding down her first climax before she felt another building with frightening speed.

"Ohh…Phil…oh God…" she moaned, closing her eyes. This was where he kicked it up a notch. He rested all of his weight on one arm and used the other to grasp her chin.

"Look at me" he panted.

When she arched her back, her eyes still closed, he forced himself to slow down.

"I said look at me"

Her eyes fluttered open and she stared deep into his. "Please…don't stop…I'm so close again" she whined, leaning up to kiss him.

"I want you to look at me when I make you come…I want to hear you scream" he growled against her lips, hearing her breath catch at his words. He knew exactly how to push her buttons.

He resumed thrusting his hips, setting a furious pace. The springs of the bed creaked and the headboard clunked against the wall as she moaned loudly in surprise. She cried out on a particularly deep thrust and he continued to hit that spot as she trembled beneath him.

"Phil! Ohhh…" she practically screamed as she spasmed around him. Feeling her walls contract around him, he knew he was close. He let out a series of low grunts, not letting up on the pace at all. He felt her run her hands over his back, her nails lightly tracing the muscles.

"Let go, I promise this won't be the last time tonight" she whispered in his ear. "Come for me"

He groaned loudly as his stomach muscles tightened and he released inside her. He thrust until his arms wouldn't take his weight any longer and he fell to her side. He was vaguely aware of her settling in next to him, nuzzling her face into his neck. When he opened his eyes again, he watched her hands running over the contours of his body; across his ribcage, over his stomach, down his strong thighs and back up his arms. Waiting for him to recover, she kissed his neck and caressed his face, tousling his hair around her fingers.

"Give me a sec" he panted.

"Don't worry baby, take your time. I'm quite happy to stay up all night" she whispered, leaning over and kissing him, nibbling gently at his lower lip. By 4.30am, they finally fell asleep. Maria lay cradled in Phil's exhausted arms after another two rounds of love-making, one in the kitchen when they tried to get a snack and the final in the shower when they planned to clean up.

* * *

><p>The alarm woke them up at 7am and Phil reluctantly dragged himself out of bed. Maria joined him, staying in her pyjamas. She waited sadly at the end of the bed, checking his suitcase was packed and he hadn't forgotten anything. He finished getting ready and left the bathroom, leaving his bags by the door.<p>

He crouched down at the end of the bed and lifted her chin.

"It'll be Thursday's house show before you know it, and then it'll be the weekend again" he winked, planting a soft kiss on her lips.

"How long do I get to see you for on Thursday?"

"Only until the end of the show, then I have a red-eye out to Connecticut" he told her sadly, linking his hand with hers. She looked down at the floor, worried that if she looked him in the eye she would get upset. She felt him wrap his arms around her.

"I'll see you soon"

"Be safe…I love you" she whispered, pushing a piece of his hair back into place.

"You too, love you too" he smiled sadly, standing up and grabbing his bags. He blew her a kiss on the way out of the door…and then he was gone.

* * *

><p>Kelly stood in the airport bathroom. She hated what Shane was blackmailing her into. She just hoped he didn't' go too much further with this. She checked her appearance in the mirror, her short cream dress and black suede heels were matched with a black travel bag and black flower in her hair. She applied a little more pink lip gloss before stepping out into the terminal. She spotted Phil immediately, reading a book with his hat pulled low over his face. She got ready to sell the story Shane had given her. She ruffled her hair a bit and turned on the waterworks.<p>

Phil was suddenly aware of a presence standing over him and sighed. Usually it was a fan invading his personal space and trying to get his attention. He looked up and was taken aback at the sight before him. Kelly stood in front of him, mascara streaked down her cheeks. He took out his headphones and stood up.

"What's wrong?" he asked, placing a hand on her arm. He wouldn't say he and Kelly were best friends, but they'd known one another a while and worked together many a time.

"I…I was in the bathroom…some guy…he followed me in…he attacked me" she sobbed.

"Shit, did he hurt you?"

"Not really…I'm just a bit shaken up" she sniffed.

"Did he take anything? Where did he go? We should call the police or something"

"No…I don't know, he'll be long gone by now" she said, another tear sliding down her cheek.

"Let me go report it to security" he said, making to leave.

"No…please Phil…don't leave me on my own…I'm scared…I already called Shane, he said he's reported the incident and he's dealing with it. He told me to come to you and not to go anywhere alone"

"Okay…are you sure you're okay?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded, leaning on his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Maria watched back her segment from behind the camera, listening to the handy tips on how she could improve. She'd built up a good amount of presenting experience now and was confident in front of the cameras.<p>

Zack popped up next to her, smirking.

"What's that for?" she asked, pointing at his grin.

"Someone had a good night last night" he chuckled.

"Zack!" she yelled, slapping his shoulder.

"Hey I did nothing wrong, I wasn't eavesdropping. I swear the whole hotel heard you"

"Shut up!" she told him, eyes wide with embarrassment. She knew he was just teasing, but it really made her squirm.

"Didn't get much sleep?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

She didn't answer, rolling her eyes.

"Me either" he gave her a look.

"Did we keep you up? I'm genuinely really sorry Zack" she told him honestly.

"No, YOU kept me up" he laughed. "I'm pretty sure I'd have asked for a new room if I could hear the both of you. All I know is, Phil clearly knows how to rev your engine" he waggled his eyebrows.

"Oh my God" she cringed, covering her face.

She turned around as she heard her name called.

"Maria sweetheart, can I see you in my office?" Shane asked, handing a copy of the show's schedule to a stagehand.

"Yes Sir" she saluted, following him. She definitely didn't want to hear any more from Zack.

"Maria, you know you can call me Shane" he winked, taking a seat in his office. He motioned for her to close the door and she did so, sitting on the other side of the desk.

"Firstly I want you to know how impressed I am with you. I have big plans for you" he smiled. He paused. "I have a proposal for you"

"Oh?" she asked.

"How would you like to work on managing the new network alongside me?"

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading and thank you for your feedback! As per usual, let me know what you think, the more reviews, the sooner I update :) Sorry this chapter was a little late, been a busy few weeks but it's all back on track now :)<strong>


	7. With You Through Stormy Weather

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** Here's the next instalment. Hope you enjoy it. If you do, let me know exactly what you enjoyed :) Thoughts, ideas, comments, criticisms, opinions and the like are encouraged! The lyrics are from Now or Never by Jodie Connor.

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Seven: ~**

_I'll walk with you through stormy weather_

_Baby me and you together_

_You know I've always had a crush on you_

_I'm pretty sure you feel the same way too_

"Wow…Shane…I don't know what to say" she responded, her mind struggling to process what he was offering.

"Say yes" he grinned. "Think about it, this is huge. You'll get a pay rise, get all kinds of creative input and really develop your business skills"

"Thank you so much for the offer…do you mind if I have a day or two to think about it?" she asked.

"Of course, but let me know as soon as possible because you're the first person I'm offering this to and there's hundreds of people who would jump at the chance to take the position" he winked.

* * *

><p>Phil rubbed his face angrily as he waited to get into the bathroom.<p>

"Kel are you nearly done in there?" he yelled. It was just his luck. He felt bad for the girl, of course he did but sharing a room with her on Shane's orders? That was a bit much surely…he understood she might be a bit scared, but having her own hotel room didn't put her in any danger.

He sighed and knocked again. She finally emerged in the shortest black dress he'd ever seen complete with towering heels. If she was too afraid to stay in a room alone, why was she okay to go partying?

"You're not going out like that are you?" she giggled, flipping her hair back. Her strong perfume wafted into his nostrils.

"Firstly, I haven't had a chance to get in the bathroom since we got back and secondly, I wasn't planning on going out"

"Aww, how come? It's just a few drinks" she nudged him.

"Sorry but I really don't feel like it. Hoping Maria will call later" he smiled.

"Come on! Don't be boring"

"Are you ever gonna drop it?" he asked.

"Nope" she smiled.

"Alright then" he sighed.

Kelly walked to the mirror, wiping away a little stray mascara and reapplying some pale pink lipstick. She felt cheap and worthless doing this, especially with Phil. He was the least impressed by girls like her and the way he looked at her when she acted ditsy made her feel sick. He wasn't remotely interested in her…how exactly was she supposed to do what Shane wanted?

* * *

><p>A few drinks turned into a lot of drinks for Kelly and they were now sat in some club at two in the morning. He checked his phone, still no call from Maria. He watched Kelly stumble towards the table and sink down into the seat next to him. She swayed in her chair before leaning against his shoulder.<p>

"Th…thank you for…for looking…for looking after me Philly" she slurred, holding his hand for support.

"I think its bed time now" he sighed, grabbing his jacket.

"I don't wanna go yet" she hiccupped.

"You'll have to because I'm going and you can't stay here alone" he told her. "I'm going to the bathroom first, watch my jacket and don't move okay?"

She nodded, letting her eyes droop closed. Suddenly a buzzing on the table woke her. She stared down at the screen of Phil's iPhone. It was Maria…

"Hello?" she slurred.

"Phil? Who is this?" Maria asked, confused.

"Kelly…he…he can't come to the phone right now"

"Why do you have his phone? Is he okay?" she asked worriedly.

"He's fine…we're at a club"

"I can hear music so I guessed as much. Can you ask him to call me back; I need to talk to him about something important?" Maria requested.

"Yeah I'll…I'll tell him when we get back to our room" Kelly told her, hanging up and deleting the evidence of the call.

* * *

><p>"Our room?" Maria asked out loud as the phone line went dead. She pushed any thoughts of Phil being unfaithful out of her head. He wouldn't do that to her. She trusted him. Kelly had a tendency to be overly flirty; she wasn't as bad as people made her out to be. She had no idea why Kelly was even with Phil…he hadn't mentioned having a partner for the signings…<p>

It sucked that Phil wasn't answering his phone. She wanted to talk to him about the promotion Shane offered her. Phil was her boyfriend, but before that he was almost a mentor. He taught her to wrestle all that time ago, and he knew so much more about the business than she did. She wanted his advice…

She accepted that he was preoccupied looking after a very drunk Kelly and climbed into bed. She would try him again in the morning…

* * *

><p>Phil half carried Kelly up to the room and sat her on the edge of the bed.<p>

"You probably want to change into some pyjamas or something, do you want me to get them for you?" he asked.

She nodded, pointing to her suitcase. He followed the shaky finger and unzipped the case. He had to rifle through all of her lacy underwear which he wasn't at all comfortable about before finding what he assumed were her pyjamas.

"These things?" he asked, holding up a tiny pair of pink silk shorts and a white tank top.

"Yeah" she reached out to take them and nearly fell off the bed.

"I'm gonna get you a glass of water…get changed and I'll be back in a bit" he said, steadying her.

How he ended up on babysitting duty he didn't know, he thought to himself as he filled a glass from the tap. He waited outside the door for a while, making sure she had plenty of time to get changed. After a few minutes he knocked.

"Mmmm" came a reply.

"You decent?"

"Phil…mm'feel sick" she whined on the other side.

He sighed and grabbed a bowl from the main room. As he opened the door, his eyes nearly fell out of his head. She was slumped over the edge of the bed in nothing but a matching set of pink and plum lace underwear.

"Kelly put your pyjamas on and then I'll bring you some water" he groaned, turning around.

He heard her retch and turned back, giving her the bowl and pulling her hair back. Maria would not approve of this. What was he supposed to do? Leave her to drown in her own vomit? Or worse, pass out in this paralytic state? It threatened, but no vomit came so he took one of her hands from the bowl and gave her the water.

"Thank you for looking after me" she whined, taking a sip of water and retching again.

"Can you just put your clothes on now?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"Why? Don't you like the view?" she said, attempting to be seductive.

"That's enough, put this on now" he pushed the top over her head and waited until she reluctantly put her arms in and pulled it down over her tiny frame. "And these" he lectured as she fumbled around uncoordinatedly.

He helped her into bed, leaving the water beside her and the bowl on the floor. He turned out the light and headed for the couch, wondering why the hell his luck was so shit.

"Where are you going?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"To sleep…on the couch" he told her, yawning.

"Why? Sleep here…I want you to" she grinned, crawling out of the blankets towards him.

"Get back in bed" he warned.

"I don't wanna" she bit her lip and grabbed his shirt.

"Let go" he told her, trying to control his annoyance.

He felt her fingers brush the zipper on his jeans and flipped. He firmly pushed her hands away from him and stormed out, slamming the door. He grabbed some blankets and curled up on the couch, taking some deep breaths to calm down. He could hear her muffled sobs from the next room but ignored them…it was her own damn fault.

As he was about to drift off to sleep, he heard the door open a crack.

"Phil…are you awake?" came a tiny voice.

He rolled over and groaned.

"Kelly, go the fuck back to sleep"

"I'm sorry" she said, her voice cracking again.

"Okay, I accept your apology. Now go back to sleep"

"Sleep in the bed, I feel really bad" she told him, wiping her face.

"I can't sleep in the bed Kelly"

"Why not?" she asked quietly.

"What do you think Maria would think about that?" he growled, exhausted.

"I'm sorry…but I can sleep on the couch?" she offered.

"Kelly please just go to bed" he pulled the blankets over his head and breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the door to the bedroom click closed once more.

* * *

><p>Kelly tried to keep the tremors out of her voice as she dialled the number. She was sobering up now and the reality of the situation hitting her full force. She'd just tried to undress Phil…and she felt dreadful.<p>

"Shane?" she replied as he answered.

"What? It better be big news if you're calling me when I'm at home" he complained. "Have you fucked him yet?"

"I don't think I can do this" she said, starting to cry again but keeping her voice low so Phil wouldn't hear.

"You better fucking had do it…you know what happens if you don't. I'll make sure you never get work again. Not here, not anywhere" he snarled.

"I don't think he would do that to her anyway Shane!" she pleaded.

"Oh don't worry about her, I'll sort that out. Just keep working on it or you'll regret it" he said, hanging up.

* * *

><p>Maria's eyes fluttered open. It was Wednesday morning already. She'd been churning the decision over in her mind all night; she didn't know what to do. She decided to try Phil again, he was usually up early. It rang…<p>

"Hello?"

"Kelly, why do you have Phil's phone again?" she asked, starting to get angry.

"He left it in here last night" came the answer. The fact Phil didn't even care enough to keep his phone near in case she called agitated her.

"I really need to speak to him" she told her.

"He's not here" she answered plainly.

Angry now, Maria hung up. So Phil was in the bedroom with Kelly last night? What was that about? She calmed herself down, knowing how drunk Kelly was…he was most likely checking on her. Unable to get hold of him, she took matters into her own hands. While he was off doing his job, she was going to take charge of her own career.

"Hello?" Shane answered.

"Shane its Maria…I was calling to let you know I want to accept the position you offered me"

* * *

><p>"Excellent" Shane beamed. His plan was falling into place perfectly. He had Maria exactly where he wanted her, and things were only going to get better from here. Thursday's house show was all planned out…<p>

_Meet in my locker room before my match?_

_Punk x_

_I can't, I have a meeting_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

_A meeting? About what?_

_Punk x_

_About my new position_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

_What new position?_

_Punk x_

_The one I accepted yesterday_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

Her phone rang, it was Phil.

"What's this about a new position?" his gravelly voice echoed down the line.

"I'm working alongside Shane in developing the new network" she told him, making sure everything she needed was safely stowed in her handbag.

"You what?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

"You heard me"

"Working with Shane? Shane fucking McMahon?" he asked angrily. "Why didn't you run it by me?"

"I called you twice! You were too busy to answer me. Either way, it's my decision" she argued, taken aback by his reaction.

"You could have waited and discussed it first! I know it's your decision but I thought we were a team Maria"

"It's hard to be a team when you're half way across the country" she whispered sadly.

His anger dissipated as he heard her tone.

"Look I'm sorry for yelling, I just miss you and I feel a million miles away when I miss big news like that…meet up after my match to discuss it yeah? I only have like an hour before I fly out again but I just want to see you"

"Okay…I love you Phil" she told him.

"I love you too"

* * *

><p>"You're needed in the media offices" the stagehand shouted to him as he came through the curtain from his match. Shit. Now he had even less time. He wound his way through the corridors, rushing to get this done fast. He knocked on the door and found John Laurinitis, the last person he wanted to see.<p>

"Sit down Punk, we have things to discuss" he motioned to the seat in front of him.

"Can we be quick please? I have somewhere to be" he asked, thinking of Maria waiting for him.

* * *

><p>Maria sat in Shane's office, shifting around restlessly.<p>

"I'm really sorry but I'm supposed to be meeting Phil…I haven't seen him in a long time…" she said sadly.

"It's okay; I won't keep you much longer"

Shane pulled out his phone and texted John Laurinitis.

"What do you say we get together and do some brainstorming for show ideas sometimes soon? Perhaps over a business lunch?" he suggested.

"Yeah…that sounds good" she said, absent-mindedly checking her watch. She was itching to see Phil; she just wanted a hug and some friendly words…anything.

Shane had to hide his smirk as he switched into acting mode.

"Oh wow, sorry to disappoint you Maria but Phil is with John Laurinitis at the moment. John said he would let him go early but Phil said it was okay and offered to stay late until his flight left" he told her. "I'm afraid he's not going to see you tonight then"

Maria's breath caught in her throat. Why would he do that? He knew how much she wanted to see him…even if it was just an hour…

"Did you want to have the meeting now instead? Dinner's on me?" he offered.

"Can you give me a minute?" she asked, stepping outside as the first of many tears rolled down her face. It was happening again…he was more interested in work than her…

She headed for his locker room and sat on the bench, finding his hoody and putting it on. It smelt like him and even though it made her cry harder, the soft warmth of it was slightly comforting.

* * *

><p>Phil tapped his feet agitatedly as he sat and listened to the idle chat that was spewing from Laurinitis' mouth.<p>

"Listen I really need to go" Phil told him, getting up as he checked the time. He only had half an hour left now.

"Is it to see Maria?" John asked casually from behind his desk.

Phil turned around and narrowed his eyes. "Yeah…now I'm on media I haven't seen her since Monday and I won't see her again until next Monday night" he explained.

"I just got a text from Shane, she's with him discussing network plans over dinner" he said nonchalantly.

Phil stood rooted to the spot. Here he was desperate to get back and she was on a dinner date with a man she knew he loathed? What the fuck was going on?

* * *

><p>After sitting in his locker room for more than half an hour, hoping Shane was mistaken, she finally accepted Phil wasn't going to show. She took of his hoody and left it on the floor, angrily wiping the tears from her eyes in the mirror. Shane called.<p>

"Yes…yes I'll be right there…dinner sounds good, I need to relax a little" she hung up, sorting her make up out before heading out and back to Shane's office.

* * *

><p>John finally let him go and he trudged back to the locker room. As he entered, he spotted his hoody on the floor. He was sure he didn't leave it there…he picked it up and he could have sworn he could smell Maria's perfume on it. He shrugged it off. He was going mad. He'd half-hoped she would be waiting for him even after what John said but there was no sign of her…<p>

Opening his wallet to find his passport, he spotted the picture he always kept there. It was from an interview segment they did back in OVW. Phil's eyes were rimmed with black, his hair long and messy. Maria had the biggest smile on her face as she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. As he felt the wave of sadness crash over him and the hurt of not seeing her for reasons he couldn't quite wrap his head around, he closed it and pushed it back into his bag. He packed up his gym bag and headed out. Another flight…another city…

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading and thank you for your feedback! As per usual, let me know what you think, the more reviews, the sooner I update :)<strong>


	8. What Are We Doing?

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** Here's the next chapter guys, let me know what you think of it - I'm curious :) Thank you to all the regular readers and reviewers, it really helps me out with inspiration and motivation. The lyrics here are from No One Does It Better by You Me At Six :)

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Eight: ~**

_If I were an honest guy, _

_I'd give this life another try_

_What are we doing? I was so in love with you_

_I forgot what I wanted to say_

_What are we doing? You will change your ways in time, in time_

_If I just save you, you could save me too_

"That's a beautiful necklace, where did you get it?" Shane asked, chewing a piece of steak as they sat in a restaurant not far from the arena.

She looked down at the silver pendant, the single diamond shining in the light. She caressed it with her fingers, pausing a while before answering.

"It was a present from Phil…before he had to go away"

"Oh" Shane replied, watching her push salad around her plate. She looked awfully sad, he almost felt bad. "I'm sure you'll get to spend some time with him soon"

"Could we not talk about it?" she asked quietly.

"Course not, sorry. You know, I'm really excited about working with you on the network. Have you been thinking about any ideas yet?" he asked.

"Well I did have one idea. I know as a fan that people would really love to see more behind the scenes stuff. Even if it was just a quick montage of that weeks adventures, the buses, the hotels, the flights and the fun everyone has. What sets WWE apart from the other companies is just the family atmosphere. If we show a bit more of that, I think that could be a hit" she shrugged.

Shane beamed at her. "This is exactly why I wanted you on the team. None of the men in suits can come up with that kind of gold. Fantastic idea, I'll have the proposal on Vince's desk tomorrow morning"

Maria smiled a little, happy that her ideas were valued. "Thank you"

"You're welcome. Now this is supposed to be a celebration, of your promotion, and of our new team so let's crack out the wine" he grinned, opening the bottle and pouring two generous glasses before Maria could politely decline.

Another bottle later and Shane called a taxi to take them back to the hotel. Rather than cheering her up, the alcohol seemed to have sent her into a deeper state of sadness. All she could think about was Phil and how badly she wished he would be sleeping next to her tonight. Shane helped her into the car, she was a little unsteady on her feet, and told the driver where they were going.

The news was blaring from the radio as they sped through the dimly lit streets and Maria tuned in and out of the reporter's ramblings.

'A plane bound for New York City today was brought down when its engines failed this evening. The extent of the damage is not yet known but presently three people have been confirmed dead including an unidentified man and two women.'

Maria's breath caught. Phil was on a plane bound for NYC. Her hands were shaking as she fumbled around for her phone, tears already threatening to spill over her eyelids.

"What's wrong?" Shane asked.

"I need to call Phil…what if he was on that plane?" she asked, panic welling up in her chest.

"I'm sure he wasn't, calm down"

Maria ignored him, pressing Phil's speed dial number. She held it to her ear with trembling fingers. It rang…and rang…and rang…

'Hey you reached Batman. I'm busy saving Gotham City and shit right now, leave a message and I probably won't ever get back to you. Peace' blared his answer phone message. Normally it made her smile, but this time it just served to deepen the feeling of dread.

"He's not answering" she said quickly, frantic now as they pulled up to the hotel. Shane paid the fare as Maria flew out of the taxi.

"Hey Maria! Slow down, it'll be fine" Shane tried to reason.

Maria tried to hold herself together as she stood in the lobby. She didn't know what to do with herself, her mind racing through a million thoughts.

"Let me help you to your room" he said, putting an arm around her shoulder. She shook him off and headed for the stairs, climbing them silently. She knew Shane was behind her, she could hear his heavy breathing as he struggled to climb the stairs with the weight of his ego.

She kept dialling Phil on the way to the room, getting the answer machine every time. As she unlocked her door she tried again. Ringing…ringing…ringing…

"Hello?"

Shane was trying to say something to her, but she rushed into her room and shut the door in his face, sliding down it as the tears finally escaped her eyes.

"Phil?" she sobbed.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"You're okay" she sniffed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"…yes…I am…I was in the bathroom…what am I missing?"

"It was on the radio…a plane crashed heading to New York and three people died…I was so scared" her voice wavered as fresh tears of relief rolled down her face.

"I'm fine I assure you, I'm pretty sure there was nothing wrong with my plane other than the lack of leg room" he told her. "You can stop crying now, it's okay" he soothed.

"I love you so much Phil"

"I love you too" he told her.

"I wish I could have seen you earlier" she hinted, still confused as to why he didn't keep to their plan.

"So do I, so do I" he sounded tired. "How was your business dinner or whatever that was?" he said, a certain sharpness to his tone.

"I don't know, I didn't pay much attention, I was just disappointed I didn't get to see you…how was the thing with Laurinitis?"

"I guess Shane had you busy…Laurinitis just talked crap for an hour. Sick of that man. He knows nothing about the business. Not than Shane O'Mac does either" he sighed.

Maria wanted to tell Phil about Shane liking her idea…she normally told him everything. But this time she was afraid he'd get mad.

"I love you" she whispered.

"Love you too" he replied.

"No Phil, I really really love you" she smiled.

"And I really really love you" he chuckled.

"Promise?" she asked, only half joking.

"Of course I do…what's all this about?" he laughed.

"I'll love you 'til the day I die Phil, I'm just scared one day you won't" she admitted.

"Maria…how long have you known me?"

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Just answer the question"

"A long time" she answered.

"Am I really the kind of guy to hold back? Do I not speak my mind? When I tell you I love you, when I started a relationship with you the first time and when I asked you to be my girlfriend this time I did so because I love you to bits, I never stopped loving you and because I want to be with you for as long as you'll put up with me"

"I wish I could see you right now…it's hardly been two weeks…I love you" she whispered, a few more tears dripping down her cheeks at his words.

"I'll see you Monday I promise" he comforted. "I love you too, now stop worrying and go to bed" he chuckled.

"Night Phil"

"Sweet dreams" he breathed.

* * *

><p>Phil felt a lump forming in his throat as he stood at the back of the room. He could barely hear the muffled voice of his little sister down the line over the noise from the huge queue of fans, but he didn't miss what she just told him. A WWE representative was trying to get his attention.<p>

"Punk…is everything okay? We need to resume the signing soon or a lot of the fans will be disappointed…" she trailed off.

He held his hand up to her, signalling he wouldn't be long. She'd worked with the tour for a long time, and knew him well enough to know he wouldn't disrupt a signing if it wasn't important.

"Phil? Are you still there?" Shailene asked quietly.

"Yeah…I just don't know what to say"

"Promise you won't say anything to anyone…not the people you work for, not Maria, not even mum or dad…please Phil?" she begged him.

"I won't say anything for now…it's up to you I guess. When did you find out?" he asked, taking a deep breath and turning away from the crowds.

"Only this morning…nothing's confirmed yet so please don't be too concerned…I just needed to speak to you. I'm not disturbing you am I?"

"I'm concerned Shay of course I am, I don't know what to feel right now…I have Monday night and some of Tuesday free. I'll fly back to Chicago…I still haven't given you your surprise. And screw whatever I'm doing, this is way more important" he told her.

"You don't need to do that Phil…it would mean the world to see you, especially now…but I know how busy you are" she mumbled.

"No. I'll be there"

"I'm scared Phil"

"I know" he breathed, trying to stay calm.

"I'll call you later okay? I can hear you're working"

"I'll call you as soon as I'm done. I love you Shay, it'll be okay, I'll be there soon" he told her, trying to be the big brother he used to be back when she used to cry because a guy broke her heart, because she fell out with her best friend or because their dad was drinking again.

* * *

><p>Phil composed himself and took a seat next to Kelly again.<p>

"Are you okay?" she asked, noting how upset he looked.

"I'm fine" he replied, faking a smile for the fans as they approached the table one after another to have him sign for them.

As Friday evening drew to a close, he sat on the couch of the hotel room and answered the call from Maria.

"What's wrong?" she asked immediately, noting the tone to his voice.

"It's okay…" he started, trying to figure out how to say the next part. "I'm really sorry but I have to go home Monday night…I'll see you at the show for a while though"

"Oh…how come? It's okay, I can come along" she said hopefully.

"I'm sorry Ri, I really am but I have to go on my own…please don't ask me why…"

"Phil, how can you expect me not to ask why? Are your parents okay?" she asked.

"Maria please…I need to go home on my own and that's all I can tell you for now, can you just trust me?"

He could hear her shaky breathing down the phone as she cried. She seemed to be crying a lot these past few days.

"Ri…"

"You promised…Monday" she whispered.

"Maria how many more times do I have to explain this! You fucking know I want to see you! You will see me on Monday and you know I wouldn't be this way if it wasn't important. Stop being so selfish!" he lost it, feeling the stress of the situation hitting him full-force.

The line was silent apart from the occasional sob. She hung up and the line went dead.

"Fucking hell" he shouted, throwing his fist at the nearest inanimate object. Why was everything against him lately? Not only did he have the usual guilt of rarely seeing his family and friends from home but now his baby sister really needed him to be there for her and Maria couldn't understand that? Yeah he wanted to see Maria too, but he had to prioritise and this was important. As much as he wanted to be, he wasn't superman and he couldn't be everywhere at once. Add to that the issue of Shane fucking McMahon not only sending aggravating emails about all the things he had to do but also manipulating Maria into thinking he wasn't a bad guy at all. Could it get any worse?

* * *

><p>The remainder of the week went by with no further contact. Phil had continued travelling around for signings and tedious interviews, Maria working closely with Shane on implementing her new idea. As Monday came around, Phil was more stressed than ever.<p>

He pulled the strings of his trunks tighter - a wardrobe malfunction was NOT something he wanted to deal with tonight. As his music struck, he strode out onto the stage, taking in the atmosphere. No matter what was going on in his life, he still got a buzz from doing what he loved. It was a good job too, because he knew the day he stopped enjoying his job would be the day he gave it all up and let someone else take the reigns.

The fans cheered and jeered at him as he took a walk around the ring, gazing out across the hundreds of faces. His mind wasn't in this match, but he never had a day off before and he wasn't about to start today. He sat cross-legged in the corner and awaited Ted Dibiase. Contrary to what people might expect; Phil quite liked the guy. It was just a shame the company had no real plans for him. Phil was going to crush him in this match, and then he'd be sent packing back to Superstars for a while. He was talented, he deserved more. As he turned the thoughts over in his mind, zoning in and out he felt the ref nudge him and it was time to start the match.

The bell rang as they locked up. Ted pulled Phil into a headlock as the fans booed. Ten minutes later and Phil had the upper hand again. He threw Ted at the turnbuckle and prepared to put his knee in his face. As Ted ducked, Phil took a breather in the corner. Far from his A-game, one little miscalculation had big consequences. Ted launched himself at Phil who spun out of the way, smashing his elbow hard against the ring post in the process. He yelled out in pain and clutched it, temporarily forgetting his spot. Ted improvised, taking him down with a swinging neck breaker.

"You alright man?" he whispered as they lay on the mat catching their breath.

"I'll be fine" he gritted his teeth as he pulled himself to his feet. Ted went for a kick to the midsection, Phil grabbing his foot and clotheslining him. He fought through the pain and finished the match with his signature GTS, pinning Ted for the win. He celebrated for a while before heading to the back.

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck" he grumbled, rubbing his arm.

In his absence of attention, he walked straight into someone carrying a stack of paper. He knocked her right to the ground and as he put a hand over his mouth and started apologising he froze.

Maria sat on the ground below him like a startled rabbit, paper scattered across the floor. Neither of them said a word, the atmosphere tense. She broke the stare and hurriedly tried to gather up the things she dropped. Phil crouched down beside her and picked up the rest of the paper before holding out a hand to help her up. Instead of taking his hand she embraced him, pressing her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her, uncaring that they looked strange sitting on the floor.

They remained silent, Maria breathing softly into his skin, his nose buried in her hair inhaling the faint scent of raspberries.

"You changed your shampoo" he remarked quietly.

She pulled back and took the paper from him, rearranging it.

"I'm sorry for yelling"

She looked up, seemingly searching his eyes for something. Then she stood, dusting herself down. As he leaned in to peck her on the lips, she flinched. He pulled back immediately, confused. Add to that the fact that she hadn't said a word yet and he was worried.

"What's wrong?" he asked. She looked down and shook her head, sighing. He tried to take a look at the paper she was holding, wondering if it had anything to do with her sudden change in temperament. She held it to her chest.

"You're not allowed to see it…it's network stuff" she said quietly.

"Been with Shane all day I assume" he remarked.

"Yes actually, I have. Seeing as he's my boss and colleague that would make sense" she snapped. "Been with Kelly all week I assume" she spat.

"Fuck this! Seriously, fuck this! I don't know what fucking poison he's feeding you but I can't deal with this right now" he told her angrily, trying not to raise his voice too much in a public area.

"You can't deal with this? Oh poor you, everything bad happens to Phil…no one else ever has problems!" she yelled.

"Why is everything I do wrong? What the fuck did I do that got you so fucking pissed? Why the fuck are you putting me and Kelly in the same bracket as you and Shane fucking McMahon? Shane looks at you like you're just a pair of boobs and a nice ass!" he shouted.

Her jaw dropped. "Are you trying to tell me something Phil? Because if you are you should just come out and say it? You think Shane gave me this job because he wants to get in my underwear? You're wrong! Shane appreciates my ideas! Shane appreciates my mind! How dare you suggest I got that job because of the way I look? Maybe the reason you and Kelly are in that bracket is because she's slept with half the roster and would jump into bed with you in a heartbeat! Maybe because my concerns aren't just assumptions like yours! She stayed in your room; she answered your phone Phil!" she screamed, no longer caring who heard.

"Don't put words in my mouth" he growled. "I didn't suggest anything; I'm not saying it's your fault. What I am saying is why would he pick you over one of the writers? Because he doesn't have a creepy obsession with any of them that's why! As far as Kelly goes, I hope to God you're not hinting at what I think you are…"

"So what if I am Phil? You just fucking told me I'm worth shit to this company" she shouted, furious.

"Fucking say it then!" he dared her.

"Alright then, it wouldn't surprise me if you were fucking Kelly!" she yelled loudly.

Phil felt all the blood in his body rush to his head as everyone in the surrounding area froze.

Clenching his fists in pure fury, he shook his head. He knew he had to remove himself from the situation right now…

He slammed the door to his locker room open, hearing it crack the plaster as it hit the wall. He threw on his hoody and track pants, not even stopping to shower before slinging his bag over his shoulder and heading out. A few guys tried to stop him on the way out, hearing the commotion. He shoved them away and hailed a taxi, heading for the airport. Next stop…Chicago.

* * *

><p>Maria couldn't understand why she was rooted to the spot…why those words had spilled from her lips and why she was shaking. She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders as she was led into an office. He pushed her into the chair and locked the door. He took a seat on his desk and looked down at her worriedly. She just sat, trembling as her body was wracked with sobs that didn't surface.<p>

"Maria honey?"

She stood up, a new surge of anger running through her and pushed the lamp off the desk, hearing it smash on the floor. He let her finish as she stood, breathing heavily. Her eyes closed as the first of many tears ran down her cheeks. As she cried, he moved towards her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"It's okay, let it out" Shane whispered, thrilled that Maria was starting to break under his efforts.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading and thank you for your feedback! As per usual, let me know what you think, the more reviews, the sooner I update :)<strong>


	9. I'm About To Lose My Mind

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** **Just a pre-warning here - this chapter is a little heavy. I want it to be clear that I write these things purely because I love writing and I love wrestling. No offense is meant and nothing that happens is anything close to reality, nor would I wish it to be. It just has to be dramatic, or else it would be a story about what CM Punk eats for breakfast and how long it takes him to brush his teeth. It is purely intended for entertainment purposes, 100% fictional.** Chapter nine for all you lovely people :) Thanks for the feedback, it's been great. Keep up the reading and reviewing and have a great week! The lyrics are from I Need A Doctor by Dr. Dre ft. Eminem and Skylar Grey.

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Nine: ~**

_I'm about to lose my mind_

_You've been gone for so long_

_I'm running out of time_

_I need a doctor, call me a doctor_

_I need a doctor, doctor to bring me back to life_

"Why did you hire me Shane?" she asked, fire in her eyes as well as the pain.

"Because I knew you were right for the job" he soothed, watching the tears drip down her cheeks.

He leaned forward to catch one as it slid along her jaw. She flinched at his touch and he drew back, handing her a tissue.

"If you want to leave now, you're welcome to have the remainder of the night off" he told her gently.

"I'd rather just throw myself back into work, I need the distraction" she sniffed, pulling herself together.

* * *

><p>Phil took the train home, his hoody shielding his face as he rode Chicago's 'L', bags in tow. He was playing his music as loud as it would go, trying to drown out the thoughts whirring around his brain. It wasn't working. He had to hold it together now, he had to forget about what was happening with his personal life and focus on what he needed to do.<p>

He hauled his bag onto his shoulder as they reached his stop, wincing at the pain in his now swollen elbow. He made the short walk to his apartment and left his bags there, jumping in his car and driving the ten minutes to his sister's house. He pulled into the drive and knocked on the door, not quite sure how to handle the uneasy feeling in his chest. He was surprised he hadn't passed out from the stress of the last few days. Add to that the fact he was running on an average of two hours sleep a night and he wasn't in a good place to deal with anything at all.

She opened the door and embraced him immediately. She looked like she'd been crying. He dropped his bags and hugged her to his chest.

"I've missed you so much" she told him.

"I missed you too, but I'm here until tomorrow night" he assured her.

A few minutes later and they sat on her couch, coffee in hand.

"Where's Dean?" he asked, noting the absence of his sister's long term partner and how empty the house felt.

"He had to go away last week on a course...that's why I called you…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you it's just, I didn't want to call Dean and tell him something like that over the phone. He'd have done what you did and just come home…we can't afford for him to have time off work like that. He needs to pass this course…we need the money while I'm studying" she explained quietly.

"Shay…you know you never ever have to worry about money" he started.

"Phil I'm not accepting money from you, I never have and I never will" she shook her head determinedly.

"Shay if you need it, please don't struggle rather than ask. Even if you want to call it a loan, whatever. Just know I'd do anything for you and I've got more money than I'll ever use right now. Money never interested me"

"I know, I know. I don't think we'll be desperate any time soon but thank you…anyway, that's not what I wanted you to come here for…I just don't want to go through this alone you know?" she bit her lip.

"When did you find out?" he asked gently.

"They don't know what it is for sure yet…but I've been in pain for maybe a few months now and it got really bad two or three days ago…I went to the doctor and they sent me for tests like the same day…they normally make you wait like two weeks so they think it's urgent"

"Shay…" he started, hugging her again as she started to cry. "When are you getting the results?"

"I don't know, sometime in the next few days" she whispered.

"Are you in pain now?"

"It comes and goes…but right now it hurts here" she told him, leaning back and pressing her palm to her lower left stomach.

"Is it just pain or is there anything else?"

"I don't really feel like eating…and my side is kind of swollen. I know this isn't something you talk to your brother about either but I can't…me and Dean…when we're in bed…it just hurts you know…that was when I decided to get it checked out" she whispered.

"Did they say anything about what they think it might be?" he asked, wishing more than anything they could switch places and go through this for her.

"He just said it could just be a benign lump or something else that's not too serious…but there's a chance it's not..."

"You mean…" he felt like there was a medicine ball on his chest.

"It could be something bad...they don't know...it might mean I can't have children, or worse" she choked out, bursting into tears again.

He cradled her against him, closing his eyes and feeling a few warm tears squeeze past his closed eyelids. He couldn't remember the last time he cried…it must have been when Chris Benoit died…

He wiped his eyes before Shay could see him breakdown. He had to be strong for her, seeing him like that wouldn't make it any easier on her.

He cooked for them and spent the remainder of the night lying next to her while she tried to get to sleep. He knew he definitely wouldn't sleep tonight, but she needed to get some rest. He closed his eyes and tried to at least shut off his mind for a while…

* * *

><p>He opened his eyes with a start as he heard Shailene gasp. Judging by the sun shining through the curtains it was morning. He noted the shock on her face, her hands over her mouth and the tears streaming down her face once more.<p>

"What? What's wrong?" he asked quickly.

She didn't say anything, just shook her head and touched his hip where his shirt had ridden up. He realised what she was referring to and smiled a little, pushing his sweatpants lower and pulling his shirt up further so she could see it properly.

"I told you I still didn't give you your surprise yet" he smiled. "Do you like it?" he asked as she traced the tattoo with her finger.

"It's…Phil I can't believe it…it's amazing" she whispered, studying the detail. "You had our portraits inked on you for life" she beamed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "They look so real" she breathed, pulling away and pushing back his shirt to look again.

"I'm glad you like it, it hurt like a bitch"

"Well it's on the bone so what did you expect?" she laughed through her tears. "I love it…it's stunning…thank you" she hugged him again.

His sisters meant the world to him, so it felt natural for him to wear them like he wore everything he loved on his body.

* * *

><p>As he stood in the doorway, he couldn't overcome the horrible feeling he shouldn't be leaving. He felt guilty as hell.<p>

"You should go or you'll miss your flight" she leaned up to kiss his cheek. She seemed in a better frame of mind this morning, whether she was putting on a brave face or not he couldn't tell.

"I'm sorry I can't stay" he bit his lip.

"It's not your fault…thank you for coming; I didn't even think you'd be able to do that. I know you put yourself out for me and I really appreciate it. It means a lot…I feel better knowing you're here if I need you"

But that was just it. He didn't feel like he was there when she needed him. If he was working a show, he wasn't convinced he'd be allowed to just up and leave to fly halfway across America.

"I love you Shay, call me if you get any news okay?"

"I love you too big bro…I will" she assured him.

"I'll try to come back this weekend too, I'll let you know either way…it'll be okay" he engulfed her in one final hug.

"Thanks Phil…I really don't know what I'd do without you"

* * *

><p>Maria strode along the hallway in her five inch stilettos. She was on a roll today after throwing herself into anything and everything Shane wanted her to do. She'd already held a meeting on what needed to be done to get the network up and running, organised all of Shane's files and talked some of the superstars into doing some interviews.<p>

"You should take a break, get some coffee or some lunch" Shane grinned, catching up with her.

"I'm happy working" she smiled.

"You're not trying to prove anything to me are you? Because I know you're brilliant, there's no need to work yourself into the ground"

"I just enjoy what I do Shane. Thank you for the opportunity" she told him. If she was honest, Shane hit the nail on the head. After what Phil said, she did feel the need to prove her worth…

"Come to catering and I'll buy you lunch for being so fantastic" he offered.

"Wow, you sure know how to spoil a girl" she laughed.

They sat in the food court, eating quietly. As soon as they tucked in, Maria regretted taking a break. Working took her mind off everything…now she felt sadness overwhelming her again.

"If you need to talk about anything, I'm here you know" Shane said softly, noticing the change in her mood.

"Thanks…" she looked down.

"It might help to get things off your chest" he suggested.

"I don't think now is the time or place"

"There's nothing else to do today, you're well ahead of schedule…" he told her. "Dave, close off the catering area will you" he instructed the security guard.

"You don't have to do that…I…" she started.

"I can, and I want you to have someone to open up to"

"But closing catering just for me?" she looked up.

"I do care Maria, why wouldn't I do that for you? Now tell me what's bothering you…"

She lowered her gaze to her plate and ran her fingers over the silver necklace adorning her skin.

"Phil" he said simply. She nodded slowly. "Have you talked to him since that fight?"

She shook her head.

"Forgive me if I'm prying, but what exactly is the issue?"

"I don't feel comfortable talking about this…" she whispered. She gasped as she felt Shane's hand grip her wrist.

"Why not?"

He could see he was making her uncomfortable, but he didn't let go.

"It's personal" she said quietly, feeling slightly intimidated.

"You can talk to me" he asserted.

"It was my fault really…I wanted to see him but he had to go home, he wouldn't let me join him and he wouldn't tell me why…but he said some things that upset me" she admitted.

"It wasn't your fault honey" he soothed, releasing his grip and returning to a seemingly normal state. Maria immediately retracted her hand and clasped it in her lap. "It's natural for you to want to spend time with him, and for him to keep things from you is unfair in a relationship" he started.

"But…" she tried to interrupt.

"No buts. He should be willing to share his life with you. He shouldn't be blocking you out. Clearly there's something underlying there. I don't know why he's not trusting you, why he doesn't want to spend time with you…"

"He does want to spend time with me…" she whispered, feeling tears forming behind her eyes.

"It doesn't sound like it. He's the one to blame here, not you. And to make you question that you deserve to be here, he's crushing your confidence. It's a male control thing. It's like psychological domestic abuse" he shook his head, exasperated.

"Don't say that…" she said, getting upset and even more confused at his words. "I love him so much…" she mumbled into her hand as she covered her face so he didn't see the tears staining a path down her cheeks.

"Of course you do, but look how unhappy you are…you have to ask yourself, is it worth it. It's like re-reading a book…you already tried this relationship once…you already know how this story ends…

* * *

><p>Phil sat in the corner of the communal locker room. His head was down, his hood up and his phone resting on his lap. He knew Shay wouldn't have any news for a day or two yet, but he wanted to be near just in case. He startled as a text came through.<p>

_I know this is a huge thing to ask but Dean came back today and he was pretty shaken up too. He says I really should let mom know but I couldn't face telling her…would you mind calling her and just tell her the gist of the situation? Don't worry her, but just so she knows…_

_Shay x_

_I'll call now. Glad Dean's home to look after you. Call if you need anything at all._

_Punk x_

He took a deep breath and dialled his parent's home number. He stepped outside.

"Hello?" he heard his father's voice.

"Is mom there?" he asked, not bothering to say hello.

"Phil?" he heard his father slur. Great, it was early evening and he was already drunk.

"Is she in or not?" he asked, desperate to keep the conversation short.

"You've got a nerve…calling out of the blue when no one's seen you…what do you want?" he growled.

"Is mom there, or shall I just call another time?" he asked, trying to stay calm.

"She's out. I don't want you calling her anyway, she doesn't need the stress. You're a fucking let down Phil, every fucking time. You think she wanted a son she never sees?"

Phil snapped. "You think I wanted someone like you for a father huh?" he yelled. "You're no dad to me; you just ruined mom's life and tried your best to do the same to mine! I was calling to let her know that Shay isn't well okay? Not that you would give a shit about anyone but yourself!" he ended the call and threw his phone at the wall, hearing it smash into the cement with a 'crack'.

"Fuck…FUCK!" he yelled, slamming his fist into the wall. He felt pain shoot through his arm but he didn't care. He retrieved his phone, knowing he needed it in case Shay called. It seemed okay, just a smashed screen. He couldn't help but go off like a rocket when he was mad…mad, stressed, exhausted, angry, tired, worried, upset…

He returned the locker room and sat on the bench, his head in his hands. He couldn't work like this…

The guys left him alone, noting his tense body language. That was until John Cena strode in, his usual cheery self.

"Hey Phil, I saw this fucking amazing film last night, you'd love it…" he started, stopping when Phil ignored him. "You got your headphones in?" he asked, tapping his shoulder. He regretted that immediately. Phil lifted his head up.

John's eyes widened at the sight of his face as well as the now visible blood covering his knuckles. He sat down next to him as the others changed, oblivious.

"Are you crying?" he asked, seriously concerned.

"What the fuck does it matter?" Phil spat angrily.

"What happened man?"

"Everything that could possibly fuck up…that's what happened" he took a deep breath, clenching his good fist.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No"

* * *

><p><strong>So, what did you think of the latest drama? Same as always, let me know what you think, the more reviews, the sooner I update :)<strong>


	10. In Happiness With You

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** Landmark chapter 10! Double figures :D This chapter is extra long to mark the occasion. Let me know what you think. Lyrics are Alexis Jordan - Happiness.

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Ten: ~**

_Through strength I found love_

_In time I found myself in happiness with you_

_The things that you can give to me_

_I can feel it when you're holding me close_

_You're like one of the world wonders_

_I know I'm going under_

"Phil?" came the voice down the line as he answered the phone.

"Yeah?"

"…have you been crying?" she asked, her tone dripping with concern.

"I'm fine…what's going on?" he asked.

"No it's not fine. What's happened?"

"Nothing, just the usual shit added to the fact the trainer thinks I have a fractured hand now too" he explained away, leaving the locker room for some privacy.

"How?"

"Guess who answered the phone…" he sighed.

"Oh…I'm really sorry…it's my fault, I'm so sorry Phil" she apologised.

"Shay…its fine I told you. I'm the one who got riled up and punched a wall; I need to stop reacting to it. I have enough experience in dealing with it for fucks' sake"

"Surely it's not just that though…talk to me Phil, what's going on? You looked like you weren't sleeping when I saw you…" she asked quietly.

"I never sleep Shay" he managed a small chuckle. "Obviously I'm worried about you"

"There's something else Phil…" she probed.

He sighed loudly. She always had a way of getting him to open up.

"Me and Maria…we're having some problems" he said sadly, falling silent.

"Oh Phil…I'm sorry, why?" she asked sympathetically.

"Just stupid arguments…she's always with Shane McMahon and I'm never around. I get pissed off that she's with him and she accused me of cheating with Kelly. I can't fucking deal with that…I thought she knew me better…when I said I was going home and I couldn't tell her why, she just doesn't trust me…it's…" he explained, voice cracking slightly as he failed to finish his sentence.

"…Phil?"

He took a deep breath. "I'm still here"

"Talk to her…tell her what's been going on, tell her it was my fault…explain it to her. Don't lose her over this, you love her Phil, you're in a good place when she's around"

"Thanks Shay…"

"No problem…pull it together Phil, you're a tough S.O.B" she laughed warmly. "And remember it's not you who always has to keep everyone together…I'm always here for you too"

"I totally just distracted you from the real reason you called" he smiled a little.

"Oh yeah, you left one of your jackets here"

"Oh…I thought I was missing one, thanks. I'll pick it up this weekend probably" he told her.

"…I went through the pockets" she giggled.

"…oh shit, what did I leave in there?" he thought aloud, picking his brain.

"You had kale which made me laugh, why do you carry kale in your pockets?" she chuckled.

"I have no idea but I fucking hate that stuff. Eating it three times a day is the bane of my life" he laughed.

"And I found a cinema ticket from The Vow, I didn't know you liked soppy films and Channing Tatum" she mocked him more.

"Maria wanted to see it, that was ages ago" he grumbled. "Plus, isn't Channing Tatum dreamy?" he joked in a high-pitched voice.

"He most definitely is" she giggled. "Oh and I found a condom…ribbed for her pleasure" she forced out before descending into hysterical laughter.

He let out a breath and covered his face with his hand. "Shayy" he complained, a feeling similar to embarrassment settling in his stomach.

"Thought you were too old for that now" she said, out-of-breath from laughing so hard.

"Too old for what? Sex or condoms?" he chuckled.

"Both" she said, bursting into a fresh set of giggles.

"You're such a bitch. Thanks for cheering me up though, seriously" he smiled.

"You're welcome. More importantly, do you want me to mail you your condom back?"

"Fuck off" he laughed.

* * *

><p>Acting on his sisters advice - she was usually right about these things - he texted Maria.<p>

_Do you want to meet up after the show? We need to talk._

_Punk x_

She took a while to reply.

_You actually gonna show this time?_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

He clenched his fist, wincing in pain. He did show last time, it was her who didn't. He began to type his reply…

_You gonna break away from Shane long enough to talk to me? _

_Punk x_

He stopped and deleted it. They had to stop sniping at one another. He wasn't in the wrong, but he had to bite the bullet.

_If you're busy, that's fine_

_Punk x_

_End of the show in the locker room?_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

_Outside it. I'll drive us somewhere we can be alone._

_Punk x_

* * *

><p>Maria felt her hands shaking as the final match of the RAW house show came to a close. She was absolutely terrified at the tone of his text. 'We need to talk' sounded more than ominous. Was he going to end it with her? Maybe he thought she wasn't worth the effort anymore…<p>

She left the files on Shane's desk and made to leave when he appeared.

"Maria! Just the girl I was looking for" he beamed.

"I'm really sorry, I have to go" she said, looking at the floor. For some reason, she felt like Shane would be mad if he knew where she was going.

"That's fine, thanks for all your work tonight. Is everything okay? You seem tense" he asked.

"You're welcome. I'm fine" she brushed off.

"If you're sure…feel free to call me if you need anything, you have my number" he winked. "Have a good night"

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door. If she'd known she was meeting Phil she'd have dressed up a bit more today. Her hair was left naturally as it dried when she got out of the shower and she hadn't bothered with make-up. She wasn't even dressed as immaculately as usual. She was wearing a plain black pencil skirt with a white vest. She grabbed her bags and waited patiently outside the locker room. She shared many awkward 'hellos' with guys as they passed who knew who she was waiting for and had witnessed their previous argument. She was tempted to just leave when he finally came around the corner.

"Ready to go?" he asked, noting how beautiful she looked naturally.

She nodded, biting on her lip. He slung his bag over his shoulder with difficulty and led the way out to the car. It was the most awkward car journey she could imagine, neither one of them saying a word, silence engulfing them.

She glanced over at him and met his eyes, gazing down again. As she looked back up, she noticed his hand.

"What happened?" she asked, reaching over to gently touch it. He didn't pull away, that was a good sign.

"Punched a wall" he shrugged.

"Is it hurting?"

"No more than any of the other parts of my body that are fucked" he told her.

"Can you wrestle with it?"

"It's fractured but yeah" he answered, not doing anything to really help the conversation along.

"I missed you Phil…" she finally whispered.

"I've missed you too"

"Why did you punch the wall…?" she asked quietly.

"It's a long story…I'll tell you in a bit, I just need to get my head straight"

He pulled over in the parking lot of a small diner on the side of the highway.

"Sorry it's not much but I just wanted somewhere quiet"

"I'm sorry…" she breathed.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry for what I said…please don't leave me Phil" she said, voice trembling.

He paused for a moment. "What makes you think I'm going to leave you?" he asked.

"We need to talk…the fights…the stuff we said" she said, fighting back tears. She'd be damned if she was going to cry right now. No way.

"Do you really think I slept with Kelly?" he asked, as serious as he could possibly be.

"No, I know you wouldn't do that to me…I'm so sorry. I was just being stupid because she was spending loads of time with you and I wished it was me" she apologised.

"I wouldn't ever do that to you…not just to you, it's against my morals and you know me better than that Maria…I take this shit seriously" he told her, pointing to the straight edge inked on his abs.

"I know! I'm so sorry but I was upset…I didn't mean it…" she trailed off, lip trembling. She was trying to hold it together but she couldn't pretend she didn't care.

"I'm sorry for the way I talked to you too; it came out all wrong in the heat of the moment. You know I appreciate what an amazing, intelligent, beautiful, perfect woman you are. I just have too much on my mind…"

"What's going on with you? It scares me that you're so down" she asked.

He sat for the next hour, explaining everything from what was going on with his sister to his conversation with his father. Her eyes were wide and shining with tears by the end as he ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"I'm SO SO sorry Phil…I had no idea" she told him, a tear running down her cheek. He looked up and sighed. He reached out for her and pulled her into his chest.

"Don't be sorry, I wanted to tell you, I can understand why you were confused…"

"No. I didn't make anything easier for you…" she said, pulling back and stroking his face, feeling the light stubble beneath her finger tips. His eyes were sad; it was a rare moment of weakness for him.

"Stay with me tonight? I've missed you a lot; I'm tired of sleeping alone"

She nodded and kissed his temple. "I've missed you more than I could ever tell you; I've missed the feeling of being snuggled into your arms at night. You make me feel safe"

"You'll always be safe, I'll kill anyone who hurts you" he told her, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

><p>They headed back to the hotel, exhausted emotionally and physically. It was strange after what had happened between them, but regardless it felt right that they were sharing a bed again. Maria hoped things were sorted now.<p>

"You must have been pretty mad to punch a wall that hard" she motioned to his hand as he carried the bags into the bedroom and dropped them on the floor.

"I've been madder"

"Like when I said what I said?" she asked, looking at the floor.

"Yeah probably"

"You're such a hot piece of ass Phil, who wouldn't?" she joked.

"It's not a joke though; you had that little faith in me? Kelly did try it on when she was drunk but I love YOU, you fucking know that Maria"

"I knew it! She's such a bitch, why would she do that?" she threw her arms up in frustration.

"You just missed the entire fucking point. I don't care what's going on with Kelly, she's probably lonely. Either way I told her where to go and she cried and apologised. That's not what we're talking about here…"

"Well how about we talk about why I don't deserve my job then?" she snapped back.

"Oh fucking hell"

"Oh okay, not just me in the wrong then is it?"

Suddenly without warning, Phil grabbed her jaw roughly and crushed his lips to hers. He drew all of the air from her lungs with the ferocity and passion of it and when she managed to regain any sense of what was happening, she kissed him back with as much fervour.

"You make me so fucking angry" he growled, backing her up to the wall.

"You wouldn't have it any other way" she whispered, forgetting any hostility she felt towards him, feeling it shift into lust. She fought the urge to rip his clothes off right there and waited for his next move.

"You want to rile me up? Make me mad?" he breathed, chest heaving as he drew more air into his lungs. Goosebumps ran up Maria's spine as he trailed a finger down her neck and followed it with his lips.

"If it leads to this…yes" she panted quietly.

"You're mine" he growled, punctuating it with a nip at her neck. She gasped. "Did you hear that? Who owns your heart?"

"You" she whispered, groaning mid-way through her response as he bit down harder and soothed the skin with his tongue.

"Who? I missed that…" he mumbled against her skin.

"You…you do!" she squealed, letting out a deep moan as he sucked the skin into his mouth hard.

"Are you moaning for me already?"

"Mmmm" she whined. "I want you so bad Phil…please"

"Are you gonna do what you're told?" he asked in a low tone.

"Yes…anything" she grunted, so unbelievably turned on she didn't know what was happening. Every nerve in her body was on high alert and screamed at his touch. She hadn't seen this side of Phil in years…the dominant, possessive Phil that made her tremble with anticipation. He was angry, and angry sex was the best kind when it was driven by love and a longing for one another. All the pent-up frustration mounted and up and up until they cracked and the animal inside them took over.

"Anything?" he asked, running a hand down her side and under her skirt. Her breath hitched as his fingers pushed aside her underwear and made first contact with her tender flesh. He instantly knew how aroused she was; dripping wet for him as he gently teased her. She buried her face in his shoulder.

"Anything…please Phil…" she whined. He pushed two fingers into her and she cried out in surprise and pleasure. He found the sensitive bundle of nerves buried deep inside her and stroked it with his fingers, knowing her body inside and out. She whined and groaned into his shirt, nails digging into his biceps with the effort of staying upright. Her legs trembled beneath her and he supported her weight with his free arm. He felt her walls begin to tighten and sped up.

"Ohhhh….ohhhh God" she panted as he kissed her hard. The feel of his tongue stud swirling around her mouth sent her over the edge as she groaned loudly into his mouth, twitching and spasming around his fingers as she climaxed. As she opened her eyes, they nearly rolled back in her head as he brought his fingers to his lips and sucked them clean, kissing her once more. Sensing she was still dazed, he took her in his arms and carried her towards the bedroom, setting her down on the bed.

He took his time, slowly undressing her, pulling off her soaked underwear and loving the way her juices dripped down her thighs with the level of her arousal. He unclasped her bra and tossed it aside with the rest of her clothes, taking note of the sexy underwear she had chosen. He appreciated it, even if he physically couldn't have been any harder in that moment. His shorts were stretched dangerously close to popping the button. Trying to ignore the aching throb in his groin, he pulled her to the edge of the bed and settled between her legs, lapping at the moisture on her thighs and higher.

She writhed on the bed, only managing small whimpers. He teased her clit with his tongue stud, pressing it firmly into the collection of nerve endings. She screamed, still incredibly sensitive from her last orgasm. He stopped, watching her body roll with pleasure.

"Please…don't stop" she whispered.

"Beg me…tell me what you want"

"Please Phil, please do those amazing things with your mouth…make me cum…please…oh God!" she screamed as he went back to work, sucking, licking and teasing her. She instinctively reached down, gripping his hair as he pushed her over the edge once more. She tugged his hair, hearing him groan in response, sending vibrations through her body. He didn't stop until her legs stopped spasming before climbing back onto the bed and kissing her.

"Thank you…thank you" she panted, holding him close to her.

He didn't say it, even in that situation he was a gentleman…but as he trailed a hand down and gently massaged the front of his shorts, she knew what she had to do. His cock was ridiculously attention-starved and he needed some relief soon. It felt wrong that he was still fully clothed. When she was sure her legs would hold her, she stood and pulled him to a standing position. He looked at her curiously as she pulled his shirt over his head and unbuttoned his shorts. She dropped to her knees, seductively pulling them down. He'd been hard without any relief at all for some time now and the front of his boxers was dark with precum.

She decided if she was ever going to do it, now was the time. He loved talking dirty in the bedroom, but it made her blush. She didn't do it often, but after what he'd done for her tonight, she had to show him how far she'd go for him.

She used her teeth to pull down his boxers, hearing his breath catch as her chin brushed his erection. She reached out and took him in her hand, wrapping a fist around it and pumping it at an agonisingly slow pace. He threw his head back and rocked his hips gently.

"You like that?" she asked seductively, licking her lips.

"Mmm…harder" he groaned, trying to keep his hands away when all he wanted to do was use them to guide her faster and harder.

"Tell me baby"

"Squeeze it harder, I'm so fucking hard it hurts" he groaned.

She moaned, spitting on him to ease the friction. He looked down, seeing the saliva connecting her mouth to him. She spread it over his cock and picked up the pace, squeezing the head deliciously before pushing her fist back down his shaft.

"You love stroking my cock don't you?" he grunted, watching her intently.

"Oh God yes…it feels so good in my hand…it's so big and hard for me" she licked her lips, reaching forward to dip her tongue into the slit. He moaned loudly and bucked forwards. "What do you want baby?"

"Suck me off"

She took all of him into her mouth, sucking hard and fast. He let out a strangled gasp, feeling his stomach tighten as the pleasure doubled. She came up for air, watching his face creased with pleasure.

"You taste so good…I love sucking your cock, do you like it when I blow you baby?" she asked, hearing his breathing speed up on hearing her talk that way.

"Ohhhhh fuck…I love it…your mouth feels so good…"

"I love your cum so much, I want to swallow every drop of it…but I want you to fuck me hard first so you gotta tell me when you're gonna blow yeah?" she told him, running a finger over his tight balls.

"Shit…" he panted. "Ahhh fuck!…not long now…" the expression of pure ecstasy on his face turned her on even more, spurring her to suck harder.

His legs were struggling to support him as he hurtled towards his orgasm. Maria never talked this way, she didn't swear much and she rarely talked dirty in the bedroom. He was so turned on he knew he was ready to cum any minute. His balls were like steel, ready to release his load. His swollen cock twitched against her lips as his body readied itself to explode with huge force and he was worried he wouldn't have time to warn her.

"Uhhh…uh…I'm…oh fuck…ohhhhh" he practically screamed as she stopped just in time. He hit the edge and stopped dead, just before toppling over it, feeling his balls contract and not be able to reach orgasm was torture. Hastily, he pulled her up and pushed her onto the bed face first.

She groaned as he held her waist with one hand and her neck with the other. He pushed her legs apart with his thigh, lined up and entered her without warning. He let out a low guttural moan as he felt his cock sheathed in her tight warmth. She pushed back against him, desperate for more.

He began thrusting, setting an incredibly fast pace. His thighs slapped against her as he pumped himself in and out.

"Oh God Phil…oh God" she panted brokenly, feeling another orgasm building at frightening speed. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Cum for me…cum on my dick"

He nipped her shoulder and that was it. She screamed as she fell over the edge of her third orgasm that night, glad of Phil's arm around her waist. He held her up as her arms collapsed under her weight. She was exhausted as he flipped her over and entered her roughly once more as she spasmed around him. She clung to him, eyes meeting as he kissed her again. Ready to finally give him his much needed orgasm, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Fuck me…I want you to fuck me so hard I won't be able to walk tomorrow"

He groaned and slammed his hips into hers ruthlessly, a vice grip on her hips to hold her in place. They'd never had sex like this before. It was amazing and an experience Maria would never ever forget. He pounded into her with such force she couldn't believe he hadn't exploded inside her yet.

"I want your cum Phil…I need it…give it to me" she teased him, looking up at his face and seeing the sweat on his brow.

"Where?" he panted, not letting up on the pace.

"Wherever would make you cum hardest" she licked her lips and kissed him again, knowing he was incredibly close.

She felt his thighs clench and his body go rigid as he pulled out and cum immediately began to spurt from his engorged cock without him needing to touch it.

"Uhhhhhh…fuck….uhhhhh" he groaned loudly as ribbons of thick, sticky white semen landed on her face and chest. She grabbed hold of his dick as it bounced against his stomach and guided it to her opening, pushing him inside her as he gave the last few throbs of his seed into her. He collapsed onto her, completely spent. She lifted his chin to kiss him and so he could watch as she collected the cum from her face and chest, licking it from her fingers and swallowing. He kissed her lazily, pulling her into him as they lay sated on the bed.

"I love you so fucking much. You know I think you're fantastic at what you do. I just don't trust Shane's motives." he told her sleepily, kissing her neck.

"I love you too…and I know, but you should trust my judgement" she whispered, curling into his chest and pulling the blankets over them.

"I do"

Phil fell asleep quickly, the best night's sleep he had in weeks.

* * *

><p><strong>What did you think of that then? ;) Same as always, let me know what you think, the more reviews, the sooner I update :)<strong>


	11. Whenever You Need Me

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** Here we go guys. For the record, my pen name changed in case anyone is confused :) Super long chapter for the super awesome reviews ;) These lyrics are from Wiz Khalifa's Roll Up.

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Eleven: ~**

_Whenever you need me_

_Whenever you want me_

_You know you can call me_

_I'll be there shortly_

_Don't care what your friends say _

_Cause they don't know me_

_Whenever you call baby I roll up_

Phil slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light streaming in through the hotel curtains. After a few seconds of getting his brain to start working, he remembered last night and smiled to himself. He looked down, feeling Maria's soft red hair against his chest as she lay curled up in his arms. She looked so peaceful as her chest rose and fell slowly as she slept. He pulled her closer and rested his cheek on the top of her head, savouring the moment as he realised this was the first morning in quite a while he'd had the privilege of waking up with her.

Even after a night of sleep and the faint scent of sex still lingering on her skin, she smelled like he always remembered. That was the hardest part of their first break-up, washing her scent from everything in his apartment. After half an hour or so, she started to stir. He stroked her side gently as her eyes fluttered open and she stared up at him. A smile broke on her face as he leaned down to capture her lips in a soft kiss.

"Good morning" he whispered.

"More than good" she smiled; winding her arms around his neck and pulling her body flush against his. He placed his hands at the bottom of her back and kissing a path down her neck. She sighed contentedly and tousled his hair with her fingertips.

"I've missed our morning cuddle sessions" she whispered, lacing her fingers with his.

"Me too…but we have plenty of time to catch up" he smiled, kissing her and taking her lip between his teeth, gently nibbling at it.

"I did actually mean cuddling that time Phil" she laughed.

"Ohhh" he said, pulling a fake disappointed face.

"I'd love to" she told him, guiding his hand away from her rear and placing it back on her waist. "But I'm kinda sore from last night" she admitted.

His expression changed from playful to concerned.

"I'm fine don't worry" she smiled, rubbing his cheek. "It was well worth it…I just don't feel up to any more just yet" she winked reassuringly, taking his arms and wrapping herself up in them, pressing her back to his chest.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, I think I got a bit carried away huh?" he said, drawing soothing circles on her hip.

"Don't apologise, it was HOT" she bit her lip as she relived last night.

"I feel bad though, how about a massage to make up for it?"

"Stop it; I'm pretty sure last night was the best sex I've ever had. But if you're offering" she giggled as he rolled her onto her stomach and began work on her shoulders. She sighed contentedly as he worked expertly on each muscle.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked softly.

"Hips" she directed him, rolling onto her front. "The other place…you can't really help by massaging" she giggled.

He laughed, about to make a comment about how he'd happily massage her chest as she lay naked in front of him but he was stopped as his eyes fell on the marks on her hips.

"Shit, I'm so so sorry" he said, eyes wide as he gently ran his hand over the red finger-shaped marks.

"Phil, I told you there's nothing wrong. I didn't feel a thing…no pain anyway" she smiled, leaning up to cup his bristly chin in her hands and kiss him. "Stop apologising, last night was amazing and when you say sorry it makes me think you regret it…I certainly don't regret any part of it"

"I don't regret it, I love you" he told her.

"I love you too" she whispered, pressing her forehead to his.

They decided to stay in bed for a while, chatting like they used to.

"We talk about the most random stuff" she smiled as she lay across Phil's chest. He had one hand behind his head and the other gently running through her hair.

"I know…but it's awesome that I can talk to you about pretty much anything"

"Pretty much?" she questioned, biting her lip and looking up at his face curiously.

"Dug myself a hole now haven't I?" he laughed. "A man can't go laying all his cards on the table"

"And why not Mr Brooks?"

"Girls can say whatever pops into their head, guys have an image to maintain" he smiled.

"Okay, what random stuff are you thinking that you're embarrassed to say? I know you pretty well now Phil and when you've had a proper night's sleep you say the strangest things because you're in such a good mood" she laughed.

"Oi, I'm not strange" he feigned offence. "I'm not embarrassed either; CM Punk doesn't know the feeling of embarrassment"

"So you wouldn't be fazed if someone pulled your trunks down in the middle of a match?" she giggled, running her hands over his abs.

"Maybe a little" he smirked. "Give the first few rows an eyeful"

"That would be pretty hilarious. Vince would probably try to turn it into a business opportunity and sign you up for a porn film" she laughed.

"I'm not cheap, that would be one expensive film"

"I think it would be pretty popular though…but I get the real thing for free" she bit her lip. "Anyway, what were you going to say?"

"Don't laugh at me…but I never really could see myself getting married, just didn't think it was for me…but now, I don't know…in the future and with you, seems like a nice thing to do you know?" he pondered. He looked down; a little worried when she remained totally silent and still. "Feel free to shoot me down if that was an awkward thing to say"

She shook her head and pulled herself up to sit with a leg either side of his chest. "Why would I laugh? Or shoot you down?"

"Most people wouldn't expect that to come out of my mouth"

"Well I'm not most people…you say the sweetest things sometimes, and that was adorable" she linked her fingers with his.

"Oh…you didn't look enthusiastic, thought I'd done a talking about how many kids I want on a first date kind of thing" he chuckled.

"It just made me cry a little bit inside, that's how cute you are. And while we're confessing embarrassing mush, I'll quite happily marry you and have your babies one day" she told him fighting a smile as he pulled her closer and kissed her passionately.

* * *

><p>"I don't give a shit!" Shane yelled, red in the face.<p>

"Please stop shouting…"

"Don't give me that shit!"

"I'm pretty sure you can't blackmail me like this…I could tell someone"

Shane lunged forwards and grabbed her wrists. She let out a whimper as his face sat inches from hers.

"Don't you dare EVER threaten me. I run this department now and you'll do as I say. The fans don't care about you, you got this far on your looks. That could be over in a second, I can crush you…there's plenty of people in this company who would love to see you gone so you better play ball!"

"What do you want me to do?" she choked out.

"I don't know! You're supposed to figure that out! You're a woman!"

"I can't make him love me Shane! Even if I wish he did…" she said, bursting into tears at the pressure of the situation.

"Oh boo hoo. Pull yourself together! I can't understand why anyone would find that man attractive but if you do, use it to your advantage! He's a man like any other! I'm not asking for love, I'm asking you to fuck him and get evidence Kelly!"

"Please don't make me do this…I don't understand why you hate him so much" she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks as his grip tightened.

"It's none of your business! He has no place in a company like this, he belongs on the circuits with all the other jobbers. It's a fluke he made it. People like Paul Heyman and Shawn Michaels were always pushing for him…where was my praise huh? And on top of it all, let's just say he has something I want…"

* * *

><p>Maria pulled Phil into the empty hallway, leading him behind the lighting case.<p>

"What are you doing?" he asked, amused.

"This" she smiled, winding her arms around his strong neck and kissing him, passion flowing from her. He kissed her back, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of her soft lips on his and her nails lightly scratching at his neck.

"Phil! We can still see you guys, even behind there! You're gonna be late for brief so get your ass to the locker room now!" Kofi yelled as he passed.

Phil laughed and broke away much to Maria's disappointment.

"We should go" he smiled, the corners of his eyes creasing they way they always did when he was genuinely happy.

"I don't want to" she said quietly, pulling him back.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll disappear again and I won't get to see you for ages" she whispered sadly.

He sighed. "I know it sucks…I mean it really fucking sucks…but we'll make it work. I'm going home to see Shay at some point soon, you could come with?"

"I'm not sure I should intrude on such a personal thing…" she brushed some cotton from Phil's t shirt.

"Shay told me to tell you what was going on…and she's the one who convinced me to brave it and fix things with you sooner rather than later. You're practically family" he ran a hand down her arm and linked his hand with hers.

"Ask her first…but I'd love to come with you"

He smiled and picked her up in a hug. "I love you; see you after the show before I fly out again?"

She nodded and kissed the tip of his nose. "Love you too, have a good show and be careful"

* * *

><p>Phil stood backstage, title around his waist as he waited for his segment. The cameras were ready to roll; he was just waiting for Laurinitis to turn up. He frowned when Kelly appeared, chatting to one of the camera men. Her hair was perfectly coiffed and she wore some very tight jeans and a tube top. She walked right up to him and waited beside him.<p>

"What's going on?" he asked curiously.

"I'm in the segment, Johnny just told me" she smiled, always so happy.

"Oh…okay"

They filmed the spot, Phil confused with where they were going with this angle. The shot involved Laurinitis interrupting Punk and Kelly while they chatted backstage, and told Punk to 'stop fraternising with the divas'. He made a mental note to talk to creative soon.

As he limped through the curtain after his match, Chris Jericho pulled him into a manly hug.

"Great match man" he panted, slightly out of breath.

"You too, crowd was really into it" he smiled. "Sorry about that flying knee, didn't mean to crack your head off the ring post"

"It's alright, barely felt it" he laughed.

"I'm gonna hit the showers, I'll catch you later though"

"Later man"

He felt the cool spray hit his body and sighed contentedly. His back was killing him. He finished up and headed to the trainers room, hoping Maria would be around somewhere.

* * *

><p>"Shane I'm sorry but I need to go soon…"<p>

"Maria…you know normally I would let you go but we have a lot to do and I'm going to need you for another hour or two" he said, not looking up from the papers on his desk.

"But…"

"No"

Maria was taken aback by his sharp tone.

"I'll come back; can I just have ten minutes please?"

"I said no" he snapped.

"Please can I just say goodbye to Phil?" she begged.

"No. This is your job, are you serious about your career?" he asked, angrily, still staring at his desk.

"Yes but…"

"I don't want another word about it. I said no, it won't kill you to spend ten minutes doing your job rather than falling all over him to keep him happy"

She sat back, shocked. "What do you mean to keep him happy?"

"Well it's clearly you keeping the relationship alive. It's not right that you put all the effort in. Anyway as I said, you need to make those calls I asked"

She bit back any remarks she wanted to make. At the end of the day, he was her boss and she couldn't get angry at him even if she wanted to. She pulled out her phone to text Phil.

"Use the office phone"

"I just need to text…"

"Put the phone away, from now on, no personal calls or texts in work hours. It's disruptive"

She closed her eyes and willed herself not to get upset. Her phone rang, it was Phil.

"Turn it off"

"Shane please can I just tell him I can't make it so he doesn't wait around?" she pleaded.

"Turn the phone off before I give you a written warning"

Her heart broke as she pressed the cancel button; thinking maybe taking this job was a mistake…

* * *

><p>Phil pulled his hoody on and zipped up his suitcase. He said goodbye to the others and waited by the back entrance to the arena. He still had five minutes or so and he was hoping Maria would be there soon. He tried calling her but she didn't answer.<p>

_Ri…I kinda have like 5 minutes before I have to leave. Where are you?_

_Punk x_

He sighed as he checked his phone for the millionth time. No reply. He felt bad, that she'd be upset that he didn't say goodbye…but thinking about it, here he was waiting, she didn't show.

"Phil, wanna ride together to the airport? I don't really wanna go on my own, I don't know how to get there and last time I nearly missed the flight" Kelly asked.

Phil took a few moments to register that he was being spoken to. "Err…yeah I guess. I have a rental, should be a black SUV in the parking lot now. Go put your stuff in and I'll be there in five" he told her, throwing her the keys.

"Thanks Phil"

He checked his watch again, his phone again, his watch again…he had to go. He tried calling her again. It went straight to answer phone. He sighed and walked out into the parking lot. As he opened the trunk to throw his bag in, he took one last look at the arena doors. Nothing.

He opened the driver's door and climbed in. "Ready to go?" he asked Kelly. She nodded and settled in against the window sleepily. He shook his head, annoyed that things always fucked up. He started the engine and pulled away, heading out into the night to catch the next plane to the next city…

* * *

><p>As soon as she was released from work, she raced to his locker room. She knew he wouldn't be there but she had to check. She turned her phone back on and tried not to get upset as she saw that he'd texted and called her. She called him, he didn't answer. He was probably driving…She tried again…<p>

* * *

><p>"Can you grab that for me Kel?" Phil asked as his phone buzzed away on the dashboard.<p>

"Sure…hello?" she answered.

"Kelly…is Phil there?"

"Yeah, he's driving. Did you want me to pass on a message?" she replied.

"Erm…yes please…can you just tell him I'm really sorry…really really sorry that I couldn't make it to say bye…Shane wouldn't let me leave…or let Phil know I couldn't meet him. And can you tell him I love him?"

"Of course, have a great week!"

"Thanks, you too. Have a safe journey. Bye" she hung up.

"Who was it?" Phil asked.

"Maria"

Phil perked up at that. "What did she say?"

"She asked me to tell you that she couldn't make it tonight because she had important business with Shane. She wanted to make sure you knew why she couldn't meet you to say bye" Kelly relayed.

"Important business huh? Anything else?" he asked, deflated.

"Not that I recall" she smiled sweetly.

"…okay"

Kelly had to fight incredibly hard against her instinct to tell Phil what was going on. She felt so bad for him. She always had a fondness for Phil; he was honest, genuine and trustworthy. The guilt she felt every time she lied to him, stirred trouble with Maria or saw the sad look pass his face made her wish she could just tell him the truth. But the second she did that, her career would be over. She couldn't risk that, she worked too hard to get to where she was.

"Are you okay Phil? You seem a bit down" she asked genuinely.

"I'm alright, just got a lot going on at the moment" he raked a hand through his hair.

"I won't pretend to understand, but I'm here if you wanna talk or whatever" she offered.

"Thanks…and I'm sure you do understand, I realise it's not just me going through it all. About ready to have a mental breakdown though" he chuckled lightly. It wasn't really funny though, far from it.

"As I said, if I can help with anything to lighten the load just let me know"

* * *

><p><em>Getting the results this morning, I know you can't come back but I'll text you whatever happens and we can go from there :S love you<em>

_Shay x_

_I'm only on the other end of the phone; let me know as soon as you can, I'm waiting. Is Dean there? Love you too_

_Punk x_

_Yeah, he's here holding my hand like a good boyfriend :) I'll speak to you in a bit_

_Shay x_

Phil clutched his phone tightly as he sat in make-up for the photo shoot. He and Kelly were being featured in an up-and-coming pro wrestling magazine and had to do a full interview too. The boring talking part was over, and now he sat making faces at himself in the mirror as they tried to cover up his blemishes and wrinkles.

After a good hour, they showed him his outfit. He failed to stifle a laugh as the spandex hung from the rail in front of him.

"Are you serious?"

"Time to get changed Mr Punk, shoot starts in ten" the photographer instructed.

He shrugged and grabbed the ridiculous costume. He knew it was a superhero shoot, but he'd done that before. This was taking it to new extremes. He stared at himself in the mirror. It was so tight…he almost felt exposed. At least his ass looked good, he thought to himself as he turned around. In a way, he was realising a childhood dream - for one day only, he was Batman.

He walked out onto the shoot and was dumbstruck when he saw Kelly. Her hair was backcombed, her eyes dark and her lips black. She wore a skin-tight black PVC catsuit that looked like it had literally been painted on her body and thigh-high lace up heeled boots. She looked phenomenal, and no man or woman would have denied it. She was posing sultrily for the camera as a fan blew her hair back. They stopped the shoot as Kelly placed a hand over her mouth.

"You look…wow" she laughed, admiring Phil's form-fitting outfit.

"I was about to say the same to you" he raised his eyebrows. He couldn't help but stare at the way it clung to every curve of her body.

"Your arms look huge" she giggled, squeezing one of his biceps.

"Well that can't be a bad thing" he laughed.

"Phil, can we get you over here for your photos?" the camera man shouted.

Phil heard his phone vibrate on the make-up table.

"Can you give me a minute? This is important" he asked, heading over to the table.

"Are you okay, what's going on?" Kelly asked, concerned.

Phil opened the text and held his breath.

_Doc just called with the results. He said they found two ovarian cysts_

_Shay x_

He quickly typed a response.

_What does that mean? _

_Punk x_

_That's good :) If they get any bigger I might have to have surgery to remove them, but they're no danger to my health, or future reproductive success :D They didn't find anything scary, I'm so relieved :)_

_Shay x_

Phil failed to stop the huge smile that broke out on his face as he was flooded with relief.

"Can I ask?" Kelly asked inquisitively.

"My sister had a health scare but she's okay" he smiled.

"That's amazing news" she grinned, hugging him. "Send her my congratulations"

_That's amazing news :) I'll fly to Chicago Thursday night after a house show and then I can stay until Saturday :) I'll take you out to celebrate_

_Punk x_

_Can't wait :) we can have fun without it being spoiled by my worrying haha_

_Shay x_

* * *

><p>"Did you get the picture?" Kelly asked the assistant on the shoot.<p>

"Yes ma'am"

She took the phone from him and found the image. She smiled; at least Shane wouldn't yell at her, she had accomplished something. The lighting made it look even more conspicuous as Phil hugged Kelly in the photo. Their eyes were closed and it looked almost loving. Perfect.

The photographer called them over to finish the shoot. Phil had some individual photos and then they were asked to pose together.

"Punk, can you pick Kelly up?"

"Err…sure?" he replied. "How?"

"Are you strong enough to lift her into a sitting position on your shoulder?"

"I guess so" he shrugged. Kelly looked worried as he bent down.

"I don't want to break your back…you'll drop me" she hesitated.

"You weigh nothing Kelly, and I won't drop you. Trust me" he said, offering a hand.

She turned around and took one of his hands in each of hers, sitting on his shoulder. He stood slowly, steadying her. He was right; she was light as a feather. Even so, it was an uncomfortable position. The photographer got the shots and continued to direct them.

"Can you hold her bridal style? And Kelly, I need you to act unconscious…like a batman saves the day kind of thing" he instructed. Phil sighed and picked her up again. This was getting awfully friendly, he was sure he was going to get some annoying fan messages on twitter when the photos were released. They finished up and headed back to the hotel.

* * *

><p>Maria stared down at the text on her phone.<p>

_Can you come to my hotel room? I need you to run over the ratings with me, Vince wants the report filed tomorrow._

_Shane _

_It's midnight Shane…_

_Maria_

_I know, you'll be paid and I'll give you the time back, please Maria, I'm panicking._

_Shane_

She shook her head and sighed. She walked to his room and knocked twice. He opened the door in nothing but jogging bottoms. She blushed and averted her eyes. He knew she was coming, what was this about?

"Thank you so much, I'm under so much pressure right now" he said, letting her in.

She looked around, seeing no evidence of paperwork or figures anywhere. He sat down on the bed and patted the place next to him.

"What do you need me to do Shane, I really want to go to bed soon" she said, losing patience.

"I just don't know what's going on anymore…in truth; I'm finding this job so hard. The talent is fighting me every step of the way, my dad is putting so much on my shoulders…" he said sadly.

She almost felt bad for him.

"Thanks for being there for me" he told her, placing a hand on her thigh. Her breath caught. She didn't know what to do. She knew she should move immediately, he overstepped the line there. But he was upset and it would only cause a fuss. She sat still and avoided eye contact.

"What was it that you needed me to do? Because I'd like to get it done now" she repeated.

"You've been fantastic Maria, I don't think I told you that enough" he said. He reached out and touched her face softly. She stood up quickly and backed off. He looked angry. Her heart started beating rapidly in her chest. She had to get out of there, she was scared. She headed for the door and whimpered as she felt him firmly grab her wrist.

"What are you doing?" she asked, seeing the anger in his eyes. She was running through possible escape plans in her head when his expression softened.

"Shit, I'm sorry. Too far…I genuinely apologise. Let me explain?"

"I don't want to hear it, I just want to go…please" she asked.

"You're wonderful Maria, and I haven't had that in a long time. I went too far, it won't happen again. Can we not let this ruin our fantastic working relationship?"

"Okay…just let go of me" she asserted. He let his hand fall to his side as he released her.

"I'm really sorry Maria. Goodnight"

* * *

><p><strong>What did you think of that then? As usual, let me know what you think, the more reviews, the sooner I update :)<strong>


	12. I'm Sorry That I Hurt You

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, every one makes me super happy, especially when you make me laugh with your thoughts and insights :) Thanks to KityKat-1, Bethany-Q, Marrymebrandon, CapriSunGirl, Feeling Lucky, EmilieCW-DXfan0119 and huge thanks to SpiceGirl :) Hope you're all enjoying! This chapter's lyrics are from Hoobastank's The Reason.

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Twelve: ~**

_I'm sorry that I hurt you  
>It's something I must live with everyday<br>And all the pain I put you through  
>I wish that I could take it all away<br>And be the one who catches all your tears_

Phil furrowed his brows in confusion when his phone rang. It was nearly three in the morning…who was calling him at this time?

"Hello?"

"…" all he could hear was muffled breathing.

He pulled the phone from his ear and checked the caller I.D.

"Maria?"

He was met with sniffles.

"Did I wake you?" came a small voice.

"No, you know what I'm like…I'm reading. Why are you up at this time?"

"I just wanted to hear your voice. I'm so sorry about earlier…Kelly told you right?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, important business with Shane huh?"

She didn't reply, a few more sniffles following. The silence only fuelled his suspicion.

"You're upset, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine, I just miss you" she told him.

"No Maria, I know you and something's wrong"

"I can't tell you Phil…you'll go crazy. It's fine, nothing I can't handle" she explained, trying to hide the fact she was crying.

"What do you mean I'll go crazy? You're worrying me now…"

She didn't reply, but he heard her breathing become even more ragged. He was tired and very close to the end of his fuse.

"Maria, fucking answer me…"

"It'll make you mad and you'll do something stupid" she breathed.

"What is it that could possibly be so bad you won't tell me? What, did you sleep with Shane, is that it?" he growled.

He heard her gasp and the 'click' as the line went dead. Fuck. He shouldn't have said that. Shit.

He dialled her again. She wasn't picking up.

_Maria, please answer your phone. I'm sorry, that was a fucking stupid thing to say. It's just worrying when you call in the middle of the god damn night crying and you won't tell me why. Can you please pick up so I can talk to you?_

_Punk x_

He gave it a few minutes before he tried calling again. Sure enough she answered.

"Maria…" he started.

"Stop talking. Let me say what I need to without interrupting me okay? I called you because I need your support right now…because some things happened at work and afterwards and they upset me. I called because I wanted to hear your voice and have you tell me that whatever it is it'll be okay and you're here for me whatever. What I didn't expect was for you to come out with something like that. That just shows how little you trust me. I could have come out with some bullshit about Kelly answering your phone for you again but I didn't! I could complain about her riding with you but I didn't!"

He tried to interrupt.

"No, you listen to me! You know what? It's not like you give a shit but this is what I'm thinking right now. Kelly made a pass at you before, you admitted it. Well today Shane was really angry with me and wouldn't let me leave to say goodbye to you which was bad enough but then he crossed the line as far as what I'm comfortable with and THAT is why I need you here for me Phil! I hope you're happy, we're even now…" she said, failing to hide the sobs in her voice.

"HE FUCKING WHAT! ?" he yelled.

"This is EXACTLY why I didn't want to tell you! I knew you'd react like this! It's fine when Kelly tries it on because you told her to back off so I should just deal with it huh? But when it's me, god no! You can't trust me at all! You told me the other night you trusted me, you just don't trust him…that's bullshit Phil! What did I ever do that gave you such a low opinion of me?"

"I'm angry because I knew this was going to happen! I hoped it was just my paranoia but I was right, he's been after you since that day at the pool Maria! He's trying to pull us apart! Can't you see that?" he asked angrily.

"Well it's working! You have no faith in me! All he's done is expose the massive flaw in our relationship!"

"If he upset you so much today, why don't you just quit?" he yelled.

"I'm finally doing something I can be proud of Phil!"

"And being an interviewer wasn't something you could be proud of? Being my girlfriend wasn't something you were proud of?" he asked.

"You make it sound like I have to choose between you and my job Phil…"

"Maybe that's what needs to happen" he said quietly.

"I would NEVER ask you to do that for me Phil! Because I know and accept you would choose your career!"

"As long as Shane has power over us, he'll be in the way…"

"What are you saying?" she asked, chest heaving.

"I think maybe we need a break…"

"Well at least I know where I stand…goodnight Phil" she told him defiantly, hanging up.

* * *

><p><em>They've just had a huge argument…I heard them through the wall. I think it might be over.<em>

_Kelly_

_Fantastic news. _

_Shane_

* * *

><p>Maria curled up in a ball, sobbing her heart out. Her phone rang and, still hoping it was Phil saying he made a mistake and he was sorry, she checked the I.D. It was Shane. She ignored it, breaking into a fresh set of body-wracking sobs. It was happening again…they were being pulled apart and neither of them could do anything about it…<p>

* * *

><p>As the scripts were handed out that Monday, Phil breathed a sigh of relief. Firstly, his travel schedule had lightened up to the point it was practically back to normal. He wasn't overly happy about the radio interviews he had almost every morning and the signings most afternoons but it was looking up, he'd at least be with the main tour again.<p>

His mood switched as he flicked through the storyline progression for the next few weeks. The pictures from the photo shoot with Kelly were being released and he was being launched into a storyline with the divas. Angry and confused, he marched straight to Vince's office. He knew Shane would once again be behind this, but he knew if he saw Shane he would most likely strangle the man with his own intestines and that would probably get him fired. Without knocking, he stormed into Vince's office.

"Phil, it's basic etiquette to knock and I expect it from you and everyone else under WWE employment" Vince barked angrily.

Phil was about to launch into his tirade before seeing what he had interrupted. A distraught-looking Kelly sat across from Vince, looking glad that Vince's attention was no longer on her. Her cheeks were marked with trails of tears and she looked up at him, looking as if she was about to burst into tears again.

"I'm sorry, but I need to talk to you ASAP" he told Vince.

"I know, if I know you it'll be about the damn script but it can wait a few minutes while I finish with Kelly okay?"

"No no, I'm done…I'll see you later" Kelly said, hurrying out of the door.

"Are you okay?" Phil whispered as she passed.

She nodded hastily before leaving and shutting the door behind her.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Vince asked, taking Phil by surprise.

"No…why?" he asked.

"I found her in the hallway and she won't tell me what's wrong. You've been touring with her; I assumed you would know if something went on"

"Sorry, no idea" he shook his head.

"Never mind then. What's going on?"

Phil realised his anger had faded significantly due to the distraction. However, some of it came barrelling back as he recalled the reason he wanted to speak to McMahon.

"What the hell is all this diva stuff about?" he asked, trying not to raise his voice.

"I believe when you negotiated your current contract, one of your 'suggestions' was that we go back to mixing divas into our main storylines. This is a great way to do just that. And you're one of the few main guys who hasn't yet had a screen kiss with a diva. We can't keep using John, it's well-known he has a wife and he's supposed to be a good guy" Vince chuckled. "You're popular with the ladies; this could be mutually beneficial for everyone involved"

"Yes but surely I should have been consulted…I'm all for the idea but on a personal level this is bad timing" he ran a hand over his face.

"I realise it's not the most immediately comfortable thing to do but you get on well with the girls and it's just work"

"Do I have any input in putting a stop to this?" he groaned.

"It's already booked and scripted I'm afraid…"

Phil sighed. "Don't let creative destroy everything I've worked to build okay? But for now I'll go along with it"

"I appreciate that you make sacrifices for us Phil, and I hope you see I've tried to lighten your schedule" Vince told him sincerely.

"I saw and I'm grateful for that. Sorry I go off like a bomb sometimes but I'm under a lot of pressure from all sides at the moment"

"I know that and my advice is just have fun with this" Vince advised.

* * *

><p>"Maria…would you have a look through that indie magazine for me?" Shane asked his assistant. She came into work that morning looking like she hadn't slept, her eyes red and her mind clearly elsewhere.<p>

She looked up and took the magazine. "I thought we were just in charge of network stuff"

"You are, but I have other responsibilities and seeing as the media department are under-staffed, I offered our assistance in checking over some of the rival magazine publications. Just have a read and highlight anything that makes us look bad, where they might have twisted our words or any slander" he instructed.

She studied the front, initially pleased to have a distraction and something she could quietly work on alone. However after seeing who was on the front cover, she wasn't so sure she wanted to read it. Phil, in a tight spandex Batman outfit with Kelly posed sultrily on his shoulder wearing an outfit that screamed sex. The headline read _'WWE's CM Punk and Kelly Kelly on their superhuman strength and being top on top of the world'_. She took a deep breath and pinched her arm to distract herself. Opening the first page, she found their interview and yet more pictures from the shoot. The first one that drew her eye was Phil carrying Kelly bridal style as a superimposed background of an explosion filled the backdrop. The caption read _'Batman saves the day: CM Punk talks about carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders'_.

Maria's skin crawled as the next image showed Kelly scrunching up her face and using her hand like a claw for the camera. Underneath it read _'Kelly Kelly makes a sexy Catwoman as she speaks out on fighting villains like a superhero and her WWE family'_. She read through some of the interview, hating the way the author wrote things like _'Kelly and Punk have an interesting chemistry and joke together on set'_ and _'Kelly smiles at Punk's sharp brand of humour, the pair close after beginning their WWE journey around the same time'_.

She read on through the pages of interview.

'_Q: What was it like, making it to the WWE? Was it hard to settle in?_

_Kelly: It just kind of happened for me, it was totally unexpected. A whirlwind is the only way I can explain it, scary but so exciting._

_Punk: For me it felt like I was constantly having to prove I was worthy of my place. In all honesty, that hasn't changed even now. I was one step away from being kicked out of the door so many times._

_Q: What motivated you to keep at it even in those conditions?_

_Punk: I always knew I was good enough; other people just took a long time to see it. Having a few amazing people to support me helped._

_Q: Who were they?_

_Punk: A lot of people ranging from Paul Heyman and Shawn Michaels who believed in me, and convinced management to give me a chance to friends like Tommy Dreamer, Mickie James, Kelly and Maria Kanellis. _

_Q: You were dating Maria at the time?_

_Punk: Yeah, she really helped me through some hard times. There were so many people, so many meetings where my name was thrown around like dirt. Like who is this kid? He shouldn't be here? But I made it and they can all go f*ck themselves._

_Q: Was a relationship hard with you on the road all the time?_

_Punk: It was hell._

_Q: Are you still friends? It must have been a blast from the past seeing her back…_

_Punk: We didn't talk at all when she left, we could never be friends…it's always been an all or nothing relationship. It was strange seeing her again but definitely a nice surprise.' _

'_Punk smiles at the mention of her name and one has to wonder if there's more to this story that he's letting on. _

'_Q: Do you guys feel the pressure being at the top?_

_Punk: Definitely, it's you pulling the wagon now…you're a big part of the reason fans buy tickets, you're bringing in the money that pays the guys in the back. You have a huge weight on your shoulders and that intimidates a lot of people._

_Kelly: You get a lot of hate for it. People feel like they can judge you when you're on top. They have the rights to your personal life and you find a lot of people tell you that you don't deserve it._

_Q: How do you handle that?_

_Kelly: You have to have that self-belief. I worked my ass off to get here and people have no idea what we go through to do what we do._

_Punk: That is definitely true. It's like when you come across people who don't have a clue. They're like, what's it like when you get hit with one of those fake chairs? That's when I crack out the scars; tell people the stories about fracturing my skull, elbow surgery, hip rehab. It's not ballet. Some people won't ever understand though…like religion. Haters gonna hate. _

_Q: What do you think about dating co-workers?_

_Kelly: I think when you travel together all the time, it's like a family. They're the people you see all the time so it's bound to happen._

_Q: Who are the sexiest guys?_

_Kelly: I think that's a subjective thing (she giggles at the question). They all have fantastic physiques; they work hard in the gym. I get a lot of female fans commenting on the usual John Cena's and Randy Orton's. Punk has his fair share of fan-girls too.'_

'_Kelly winks at Punk who shakes his head and laughs'._

'_Q: Do you agree?_

_Punk: I have to fight them off with a stick. I'll be building a zombie fortress soon._

'_Punk laughs, his tone laced with sarcasm. This columnist doesn't struggle to see why so many ladies have the hots for CM Punk, his charming nature and bad-boy aura are enough to have the most reserved lady swooning.' _

Maria suddenly became aware of Shane's eyes on her and the traitorous tear that was running down her cheek.

"What's going on Maria?"

"It's nothing…I'm sorry" she said, wiping her eyes and turning the page so she didn't have to see those pictures anymore. Why did Shane have to give her this particular magazine to check?

"No…you're upset and above and beyond being your boss, I'm your friend"

"Do you mind if I don't read any more of this right now? It's just…" she started, eyes clouding over again. Phil's words whirred round and round her head…Shane wasn't trying to split them up, Phil was being jealous and paranoid. And maybe he was covering his own guilt for whatever was happening with Kelly…

"Did something happen with Phil?" he asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She was surprised by his forwardness and didn't have time to prepare herself for that to be voiced out loud.

"I'm so sick of crying" she said angrily, wiping at her eyes.

"Don't get angry, none of this is your fault" he soothed. She allowed Shane to wrap his arms around her. She felt calmer knowing she had someone to talk to. "What is it? Is it him and Kelly again?"

Maria froze. She didn't remember ever telling Shane anything about Kelly's involvement. "Why would you ask that…what do you know?"

"Nothing at all, I've just seen them around and they seem close. Plus the magazine sent me the extra shots they didn't use for our marketing and this was thrown in with the bunch" he added, passing Maria an image. Her mouth fell open as she could clearly make out the silhouettes of Phil and Kelly in an intimate hug.

"Don't cry…I didn't want you to cry" Shane soothed, passing her a tissue.

"I'm so sick of this whole thing!" she shook her head and took a shaky breath. "Maybe it's a good thing that we're taking a break"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that"

"It's fine. But I promised to go with him to see his sister this week. I don't even know if he still wants me to go but I don't know what to do anymore" she said, confused by her sudden urge to open up to Shane. Maybe it was because he was there for her and she had very few support mechanisms right now.

"May I offer some advice?" he asked.

Maria furrowed her brow, Shane was being so kind today…compared to the previous day it was amazing. "Of course"

"I think you should go if the offer is still open because his sister is nothing to do with the situation between you two and I'm sure you'd like to see her. Plus, you may find it helps your relationship to heal. And I'm always on the other end of the phone if you need me…" he offered.

In Maria's mind, this proved Phil was wrong about Shane. If he really wanted to drive a wedge between them he would never encourage her to go home with him. In perfect timing, Maria received a text.

_Can we meet up in ten? We need to talk about Thursday. If you don't want to come anymore let me know but Shay would love to see you especially after everything that's happened and regardless of what's going on between me and you, I'd like you to come. _

_Punk x_

_Meet you in catering in ten_

_Maria xoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

* * *

><p>Shane smirked to himself. He knew from the second he saw her at the pool that he had to have her. That perfect little body was temptation personified. But the most inviting thing was fucking with Phil. That stupid skinny indie boy was way too big for his boots now…he needed bringing down a peg or two and what better way than taking his precious love? Maria was a lovely girl but as much as he longed to see her beg for him, he wasn't interested in anything but making Phil's life a misery. Maria was just part of the puzzle…she better be prepared to go down with the sinking ship…<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Oooh, it's all getting dramatic now. What did you think? Thoughts negative or positive? Let me know, the more reviews the faster the update :)<strong>


	13. One And Only

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** I am SO SO sorry for the amount of time this has taken. I really hope it was worth the wait. I've had exams but that's no excuse, a small case of writers' block didn't help. Thank you if you're still reading, I hope you enjoy. Lyrics are from Ed Sheeran's 'Small Bump'. Beautiful song :)

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Thirteen: ~**

_I'll hold you tightly_

_I'll give you nothing but truth_

_If you're not inside me_

_I'll put my future in you_

_Cos you are my one and only_

_You can wrap your fingers around my thumb_

_And hold me tight_

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Phil asked as he ate his energy bar on the way out of catering.

"I'm good thanks" Maria replied, feeling the awkwardness of the conversation. The weirdest part was that the last time they actually saw one another; they were behind the lighting cases and couldn't have been happier. Without even seeing each other in person their entire relationship had fallen away in the space of twenty four hours.

He led them to the locker room which was emptying now and sat down, pulling off his kick pads and boots. He seemed almost indifferent, as if turning a blind eye to everything that had happened. If it wasn't for the text earlier she'd have assumed last night was all a nightmare.

"I booked my flight straight after the house show; it gets into Chicago at like four am Friday morning and then returning on Sunday. Still up for it?" he asked, busying himself with undoing his wrist tape.

"Yeah, you never properly told me how Shay is doing"

"She's doing great, as I said before the scans were clear of anything dangerous and I'm sure she'll tell you all this herself but she's almost completed all of her accountant's training" he said with a proud smile. "Wouldn't surprise me if Dean proposed sometime soon either" he said reflectively.

"That's amazing, I'm glad she's doing so well. I remember the first time I met her, she was so quiet"

"Not so much anymore" he chuckled.

There was an awkward silence.

Phil broke it. "I'll book your ticket tonight"

"Thanks" she breathed, unable to sit still.

Phil looked up from taking off his knee pads and studied her.

"Stomach cramps?"

He always amazed her with the ease at which he read her every expression. She nodded.

"Here" he said, taking the heat pad from his neck and placing it in her lap. "I'm gonna grab a shower, you have a ride back right?"

"Thanks, yeah I still have some paperwork to do…" she told him. He nodded and turned away. "…Phil?"

He turned back to her. "Are we…rooming together?" she asked quietly. He paused for a few seconds before responding.

"I booked another room…I think it's best if we have some space, no arguments before we go to Chicago yeah?"

"Oh, yeah that makes sense" she bit her lip and nodded. "I'll see you…" she paused, not sure how to finish that sentence.

"Have a nice night" he replied, grabbing his towel and heading into the showers.

* * *

><p>Phil angled his body towards the camera as the Bella twins cuddled up to him, hands on his chest. He knew it was just a storyline, but it was a bit seedy for him.<p>

"Good luck out there Punk" Nikki purred.

"We'll be watching" Brie added as they leaned up and planted a kiss on each of his cheeks. They left and the camera panned to his face, looking smug with red lipstick on each side.

"That's a wrap" the cameraman called.

At each house show, he'd had a different valet. It seems the newest angle was CM Punk the lothario.

* * *

><p>The three days went by agonisingly slowly. Sleeping alone when she knew Phil was in a room somewhere down the hall was torture. Having the willpower not to text him, call him…anything was hell.<p>

Despite the pain she was feeling, she made it through without breaking down. The knock on the hotel room door signalled Phil was here and she hesitated, smoothing down her hair before she opened it.

"Ready to go?" he asked, looking tired. She nodded and retreated back into the room to grab her suitcase. Phil took it from her hands, carrying it for her as they walked to their cab. Like the gentleman he always was, he opened the door for her, following her in and directing the driver.

In an attempt to break the tension, Maria started a generic conversation. However forced it was, it was better than silence.

"How've you been?"

He studied her for a few seconds before responding.

"Fine…better now I know Shay's okay"

"You look tired" she commented quietly.

"I never could sleep when I have things on my mind. You look exhausted yourself. Shane been working you hard?" he asked, bitterness in his tone.

"I just find it hard to get used to sleeping alone" she shrugged, making him feel bad for his words.

"I'm sorry for the shit I said, I know I already told you but I genuinely am. I do trust you…I'd like it if we could put on a united front for my sister" he said softly.

"I know you are…it's been a hard few weeks and I don't think either of us could avoid it. Work's put so much pressure on us. I'd like to put it behind us, I do love you Phil"

He nodded, agreeing. "You're right, and I love you too. I don't know if anything is going to get easier…maybe it will now I'm back with the tour again" he smiled.

"I don't want to lose you Phil" she told him quietly, angry that she was almost afraid to touch him for fear she was crossing the line.

He quelled her fear, putting his arm around her. He kissed the top of her head. "You won't lose me Ri"

* * *

><p>Phil pushed open the door to his apartment, already tired from the trip. The relief that flooded over him was heaven - he was home again. As he headed for the bedroom, ready to hit the hay, he could see Maria unsure of where she was sleeping.<p>

"Are you coming to bed?" he called, without turning around. He sunk onto the bed and groaned…damn that felt good. He felt the bed dip next to him as she joined him, hovering over him and planting a kiss on his lips.

"I've been waiting to do that for days" she whispered, running a hand up his stomach. She straddled him and kissed his neck.

He held her wrists away from him.

"Not tonight Ri…I'm exhausted" he told her honestly as she looked rejected.

"I just want to sleep" he told her, pulling her into a spoon. In less than five minutes she heard his breathing shallow as he fell into a slumber fully clothed. She could tell from the second she saw him today that he hadn't been sleeping again, and she was happy he was finally all peaceful and cute…but there was a voice in the back of her mind asking why he pushed her away just now. Phil never turned down sex. Ever. She wasn't sure she would ever be completely rid of the niggling worry that something was going on behind her back…

When she awoke from another night of broken sleep, she found Phil bustling around.

"You should probably get up now; Shay called and said she's expecting us soon"

He was alert, much more than usual. Sleep always did him the world of good.

An hour later and they sat on Shay's couch.

"How've you been baby sis?" Phil asked, watching his sister take a seat on her boyfriend's lap.

"Good…I actually wanted to tell you guys something, that's partially why I wanted you to come here"

Phil nudged Maria, suspecting it was their impending engagement.

"I know I should have run it by you first but it was a last minute thing…I invited mom and dad over too" Shay said, biting her lip and looking guilty.

"It's okay, I guess it's important" Phil shrugged, taking hold of Maria's hand supportively. He knew she was uncomfortable around his parents, especially after last time.

A knock was heard at the door.

"That'll be them" she remarked as she got off Dean's lap. He answered the door and showed them through to where Phil and Maria waited. Maria didn't fail to notice the look of disdain they threw her way.

"Philip…I wasn't expecting to see you" his mother embraced him.

"Hey mom, it's been a while" he smiled a little.

"I see you brought…Maria was it?"

"Yes ma'am" Maria replied. No further comment was made and Shay returned to Dean's side, clasping his hand in hers.

"I wanted to get everyone together to let you know that Dean proposed a few days ago…and I said yes" she beamed, holding up the ring.

Phil's parents congratulated them and Phil embraced his little sister proudly, shaking Dean's hand.

"Look after her; I know you will" he winked. Maria hugged Shay, they made an adorable couple.

"There's something else…" Dean said slowly.

"There's bigger news…" she said, looking up at Dean for support. He smiled at her and she took a deep breath before speaking.

"We only found out a few days ago so please keep it quiet...but I'm pregnant" she said, unable to stop the smile tugging at her lips as Dean proudly kissed the top of her head.

"Congratulations!" Phil exclaimed, seeing how happy his sister was and especially after the drama with her being sick. An awkward silence filled the room as Phil's parents looked horrified.

"You're having a child out of wedlock?" her dad questioned roughly.

"Well…yes…but we're engaged" Shay tried to argue.

"I thought you were the sensible one Shailene…I mean Phil…I expect this sort of disgrace from him but you…look how you've upset your mother" he lectured angrily.

Maria could see Phil biting his tongue for the sake of Shailene, the effort was apparent on his face.

"We thought you'd be happy…" Shay shook her head, eyes shining as she started to get upset over her parents lack of support.

"Happy? That you're having a bastard child! We raised you to have more sense than to let some guy knock you up before he put a ring on your finger Shailene!"

"That's enough!" Phil shouted, standing up and blocking Shailene from view. "They're happy! They've been together for years now and they're getting married! After everything she's been through this is supposed to be one of the best times of her life! Lay off!"

"Thank you Phil" she whispered. Maria sat in shock, caught in the middle of an argument she really didn't want to be involved in.

"YOU can shut up boy! You're the worst of the lot! Turning up here like you're part of this family anymore! You're never around and you were always a disappointment. And to disgrace us any more than you already have…you bring HER here. Knocked her up have you? Why else would you keep someone like her around?" his dad yelled in his face.

Maria's mouth dropped open and silence engulfed the room. Phil was shaking with anger. Feeling the weight of five pairs of eyes on her, Maria left as quickly as her feet would carry her. No one came after her. No one.

She burst into tears at the end of the street, sitting on a nearby wall. Against her better judgement, she pulled out her phone. She needed someone to tell her it was okay…that she wasn't worthless…

"Hello?"

"Shane?"

"What happened?" he asked, shocked at the tremors in her voice.

"H…hi…his parents…" she stammered, hardly able to regulate her breathing.

"Shhhhh, calm down and tell me what happened…" he soothed.

After a few deep breaths, she calmed herself enough to explain. Shane was livid on the other end of the phone.

"And he didn't defend you? !"

"Well…he didn't say anything…he was so mad" she whispered, hearing the bleep that signalled someone else was trying to call. She ignored it.

"He just let them talk about you that way? That's disgusting Maria…don't try to defend that…"

She wasn't sure he was being objective…Maria didn't blame Phil as much as Shane seemed to think she should…maybe he had a point though…

"He should NEVER have exposed you to that situation anyway, as soon as they turned up he should have taken you out of there after what happened before" Shane told her. "I can't believe he didn't stand up for you. It's like he's ashamed of you…"

Maria's breath caught in her throat as tears spilled down her cheeks. That wasn't true…was it?

"If someone ever did that to my girl…they'd never walk again" he growled. "I can't imagine how you feel right now…you did the right thing to call me though. I'm booking your flight as we speak; get a taxi to the airport now sweetheart, I'll meet you there"

Maria couldn't believe Shane was putting himself out so much for her. It was nice to know someone cared though…

"Thanks" she sniffed.

* * *

><p>"Do you see what you've done?" Shay screamed at her parents as Dean tried to calm her down. "We were happy! Me AND Phil! But you have to ruin that because you ruined your own pathetic lives! That's IT; I'm done. Don't EVER come here again!"<p>

"That's fine by me! You're a disgrace, the both of you!" her dad shouted, dragging their mother out of the house. Phil was still rooted to the spot, veins throbbing in his forehead, fists clenched and jaw locked.

"Phil…?" Shay asked, gently touching his arm.

"Stop me Shay…say something to stop me from going out there and kicking his teeth down his throat…because it's taking everything in me not to do it right now" he breathed lowly in a tone Shay had never heard him use before.

"He isn't worth it Phil, don't give him the satisfaction" Dean told him.

"Maria's gone…" Shay commented.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she never came back…no one deserves that shit. I come with too much baggage for anyone to handle" he sighed as he hugged his sister.

"Congratulations…I'm really happy for you both. And I can't wait to be an uncle" he smiled a little, kissing Shay and shaking Dean's hand before leaving the room for some privacy. He tried calling Maria. No answer.

* * *

><p>Shane signed the proposals, sending the message to Kelly. He was pleased with his evening's work. It was a last-minute fan event for the following morning. Both Kelly and Phil needed to be present…and the hotel only had one room spare.<p>

The final pieces of Shane's plan were slotting into place. He smirked to himself as he tracked Maria's flight. She'd be landing in less than two hours, right into his waiting arms…

* * *

><p><strong>Again, so sorry for the hugely long time this took. Pulling towards the finale now :) What did you think? Thoughts negative or positive? Let me know :)<strong>


	14. Say You Won't Leave Me

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** In an attempt to make it up to you for taking so long to get the last chapter up, a super fast update. Thank you to those of you still following, nice to see some people didn't give up on me :) I think this will be the penultimate chapter so please review! Lyrics are from Daughtry's 'Sorry'.

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Fourteen: ~**

_Will you listen to my story?_

_It'll just be a minute_

_How can I explain?_

_Whatever happened here_

_I never meant to hurt you_

_How could I cause you so much pain?_

_When I say I'm sorry, will you believe me?_

_Listen to my story, say you won't leave me_

Phil leapt out of bed as his phone rang. He groaned seeing it wasn't Maria. He was back at his apartment for the night, and he hadn't seen or spoken to Maria since she ran out of his sister's house.

"Hello?" he answered groggily.

"Sorry if I woke you but I just got an urgent message from the media team" Kelly's voice echoed down the line.

"Huh?"

"It'll be in your emails too but it's short notice and I thought you might not pick the message up in time. We have a fan event tomorrow morning and you need to check in at the hotel tonight" she explained.

"Please tell me you're fucking kidding?"

"Sorry…I'm just the messenger"

"So I have to drive to the airport now? At fucking 10pm to catch a flight back there so I can be a corporate puppet for like an hour!"

"It's in our contracts Phil…I don't want to do it either" she reasoned.

"Fuck! Okay, whatever. I'm on the fucking way" he growled, hanging up.

This was getting beyond ridiculous. Okay he was still technically supposed to be working this week but his schedule had been clear. He wouldn't have come back to Chicago if not. But now he had to take another flight back and he was beyond pissed.

* * *

><p><em>Tell him Maria's with me. I won't let her answer his calls. Tell him you heard her when I called you. Tonight's the night Kelly, don't fuck this up.<em>

_Shane_

Kelly flinched at the text, sighing as she awaited Phil's arrival.

_What time are you getting in?_

_Kelly xxx_

_Flight landed half an hour ago, in a taxi. I'll be at the hotel in ten._

_Punk x_

She sat waiting anxiously. He was really going to blow up when he found out he had to share a room again…and when she told him where his girlfriend was…

Fifteen minutes later and she got a call. Bracing herself she answered it.

"Kelly what the fuck is this about a single room booking?" he asked angrily. She could hear the lady behind the desk trying to calm him down to no avail.

"I didn't know anything about it Phil…but I guess I'm not really tired and you've had a stressful day so I could just stay up" she offered. His anger melted away slightly at her words. He realised this wasn't her fault; she was in the same position as him.

"No…you don't have to do that. I'm just pissed that a million dollar company seems to fuck up every single thing" he sighed, heading up to the room.

Kelly let him in, dressed in sweatpants and a tank top, her hair loose and face make-up free.

"Did you have a nice few days away with Maria?" she asked innocently.

"Stressful" he ran a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry…Maria's gone back to work right?" she casually dropped into the conversation.

"Has she?"

"Well when Shane called with the stuff about the fan meeting, I heard her in the background…"

Phil's entire body tensed. Why would she do that? Why would she go running to Shane when she refused to even talk to him? He was furious. He tried not to jump to any conclusions…maybe he'd called her into work…

He tried calling…

"Hello?" came Shane's voice.

"Can I speak to my girlfriend?"

"She doesn't want to speak with you right now…" Shane replied smugly.

"I'm not fucking with you right now…put her on the phone" Phil growled in warning.

"She's in the shower in my hotel room so she's not able to come to the phone…but even if she was she wouldn't. She's not talking to you after the way you allowed your family to talk about her"

Phil hit the roof. She was telling Shane fucking McMahon about their personal life? ! He hung up and threw his phone across the room in a fit of blind rage. Kelly whimpered as he kicked the door to the bedroom open and slammed it behind him. She'd never ever seen Phil like this. It scared her.

* * *

><p>Maria stepped out of the shower, feeling a little better. As soon as she turned the water off, she heard a knock at the door.<p>

She opened the door a crack, clutching the towel around her.

Shane pushed the door open all the way, placing her phone on the side of the sink. "Phil called…" he started. Her eyes lit up a little at the mention of his name.

"He's rooming with Kelly tonight" Shane added.

Maria's jaw hit the floor. "Why?"

"No idea…I guess he'd rather not be on his own. Those two have a strange friendship…awfully touchy feely"

"What are you saying?" she asked, voice shaking.

"Nothing…what's wrong? Let it out"

"Do you think there's something going on? Phil wouldn't do that surely?" she asked, unsure of who she could trust anymore.

"I don't know…when your relationship is on the rocks, it's not unusual to go looking elsewhere"

"What do you mean?"

"The things he said to you…he clearly has no respect or love for you anyway. What difference would it make if he slept with Kelly?"

Maria let out a shaky breath as tears flowed down her face. She tried to push the door closed but Shane put his foot there.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you" he said, putting an arm around her. She was still wet from the shower but he didn't seem to mind. "Come sit on the bed and talk to me"

She was too devastated to argue, allowing him to lead her. Was it over? She was finding it harder and harder to fight the voice inside her that told her she wasn't the one for Phil…he didn't love her enough anymore…

"Please don't cry Maria…he's not good enough for you…don't let a man like him put tears on that pretty face" Shane said softly. "He's not a nice person…I know you're blinded by love but no one backstage ever liked him until he started drawing in money, then they had to pretend to get on with him. He's a bum…please don't be upset over him. Yes he's probably in there getting ready to betray you as we speak but that's no reflection on you…you need to realise you deserve more"

"No…he wouldn't" she tried to argue.

"You're in denial sweetie…have you seen Kelly? No man would turn her down, especially a dog like Phil"

So many conflicts were spinning around her head…she couldn't make sense of anything. Her brain was taking in all the things Shane was saying, part of her knew she was being brainwashed but she felt powerless to stop it.

"You're so beautiful…so gorgeous and intelligent and wonderful" he whispered, wiping the tears away.

"I'm not…Phil doesn't love me…I'm nothing"

"He's an idiot. Let's not talk about him. Forget he even exists. You are beautiful. You're perfect. Look at you" he told her, pointing to the mirror in front of the bed. She turned away, ashamed.

"Look at it, at us" he said more forcefully. She couldn't breathe as his hand ghosted over her chest.

"What are you doing?" she asked, tensing up.

"Shhh, relax" he said, pushing her down onto the bed.

She was scared, turning her head as he tried to kiss her.

"Shane get off me"

He didn't move, pinning her wrists above her head.

"Shane get off me!" she screamed, trying to pull her arms free. This was bad. So very very bad.

She was crying harder now.

"Let me make you forget him…you're so fucking hot Maria" he growled, lying over her.

"Let me go! Please! I don't want to do this!" she yelled, thrashing around.

He opened the towel, tossing it to the side. She sobbed as his eyes widened.

"This…this is what I've been waiting for Maria…this is going to DESTROY him" he grinned, kissing her neck harshly.

In a moment of blind panic, she brought her knee up forcefully, connecting with his groin. He cried out in pain, rolling away. She had a few seconds to act, and that's all it took. She ran. She knew she wouldn't have time to make it out of the room, so she did the only thing she could think of in that moment; she locked herself in the bathroom. Naked and sobbing her heart out, she sank to the floor. She could hear him banging on the door; feeling every vibration as he beat his fist against it. She wasn't safe in here…he could knock the door down…

She didn't care if it was true now; even if Phil didn't love her, that wasn't the most important thing. She HAD to get out of there. She felt for her phone, remembering that Shane left it on the sink. She fumbled for the buttons in a panic and hit his speed dial number.

"Pick up, pick up" she mumbled. She whimpered as it went to answer phone. Maybe he was screwing around with Kelly right now…

"Ph…Phil…p…please…please come help me…he…he…please…I need you…he's going to hurt me…1…107" she sobbed into his voicemail, hoping with all her heart he got the message.

* * *

><p>Phil lay with his face in the pillow, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself down.<p>

"Phil?" he heard Kelly ask timidly. He saw a crack of light as she opened the door and peered in. "Are you okay?"

"Fucking fantastic" he replied.

He felt the bed dip as she joined him.

"Can I sleep here too?"

"I'll go sleep on the couch"

"No…you've had a hard day. I won't snore I promise" she smiled.

"Okay" he agreed, staying on top of the blankets. While he normally wouldn't sleep in such circumstances, he was exhausted. He soon fell into a light sleep.

Kelly watched him, regretting so much what she was about to do. He would never forgive her for this…

He rolled onto his back, muttering lightly to himself as he slept. Careful not to wake him immediately, Kelly placed a light hand on his thigh and rubbed gently. Studying his reaction, he moaned slightly and shuffled on the bed. Moving her hand higher, she began to massage the front of his pants. She felt sick as he started to become aroused under her palm.

He thrust his hips lightly against her hand, moaning. "Maria" slipped from his lips. He woke himself up, sitting up quickly.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he asked, practically throwing himself from the bed. He looked down at the tent in his pants and his fists clenched. "Why did you do that? !" he yelled.

Kelly tried to keep up the façade…but she just couldn't do it anymore. She broke down as he stood and yelled at her.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" he screamed.

"I'm so sorry Phil…I wanted to tell you, I need to tell you"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"He made me…he threatened me Phil"

"Who? What the fuck is going on?" he asked, losing his mind.

Kelly took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She needed to tell him, enough was enough.

"Shane…he threatened me; if I didn't try to seduce you…he said he was going to…to…" she whispered, breaking into sobs again.

"Kelly what the fuck? Just tell me what's going on!"

"Shane told me if I didn't try to sleep with you and make Maria jealous to split you two up, that I would lose my job and worse" she sobbed.

"I don't fucking believe this!"

"Please believe me Phil" she begged. "Why would I lie?"

"Oh I believe that Kelly…that scumbag" he spat. "…shit…Maria's with him" Phil realised, panicking.

"He's been planning this all along Phil…I don't know what he wants but he has a vendetta against you…he wants to hurt you and he's using Maria to do it" Kelly whispered. "I'm so sorry I had any part in this, every time you two haven't been able to see one another, it's been him keeping you apart. He's been planting doubts in her mind this whole time and using me to fuel it"

"I have to find her…before it's too late to stop him" he said, storming from the room. He searched for his phone to find out which room they were in. He found it, still in working order on the floor.

Kelly followed him out, eyes red and swollen.

"Oh God" he held his breath as he pressed play on his voicemail message. It played on speaker to the room. Kelly clasped a hand over her mouth, whimpers escaping her lips.

Phil wasted no more time, rushing out of the door and flying along the hallway. He jabbed the buttons to the elevator. Kelly caught him up, guilt plastered across her face.

"If he's fucking touched her…so help me God" Phil growled, absolutely terrified that Shane had achieved what he wanted all along…

"I'm sorry…I'm so so sorry" Kelly sobbed, realising what her actions could have lead to. If Shane raped Maria…Kelly would never ever forgive herself.

"Kelly get back to the room…NOW!" Phil yelled.

"But…I want to make sure Maria is okay…this is my fault" she whispered

"You can't do anything now. The second I get there Shane will know you gave the game away and he'll come after you. Go find one of the boys rooms…anyone…Cena, Mike, Kofi, Zack, anyone and STAY there! Tell them I sent you…GO!" he yelled. She complied, shaking as she ran to the nearest room and knocked. Phil saw John answering sleepily as the elevator doors closed. All sorts of things were running through his mind. He had no idea what state he would find her in, he was petrified.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review guys, it means the world and I read and smile at every single one :) What did you think? Thoughts negative or positive? Let me know :)<strong>


	15. I Will Leave My Mark

**x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x**

**Author's Note -** Here you go folks, final chapter. I hope it was a good as you hoped. I really enjoyed writing it, so thank you for giving me that chance. Everyone who reviewed, I read all of them and they made me smile so much :) The lyrics for the final chapter are from Beyoncé's 'I Was Here'. I suggest listening to it, it's stunning. Please review one last time with any comments, suggestions or anything you like!

**Warnings - **Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter Fifteen: ~**

_I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time_

_Know there was something that, and something that I left behind_

_When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets_

_Leave something to remember, so they won't forget__  
><em>

_I was here_

_I lived, I loved_

_I was here_

_I did, I've done, everything that I wanted_

_And it was more than I thought it would be_

_I will leave my mark so everyone will know_

_I was here_

As Phil reached the room, panting with the effort, he realised he didn't actually have any idea how he was going to get in. If Shane realised it was him there was no way he'd let him in.

Hoping to God this worked, he knocked loudly on the door and retreated around the corner, waiting. He'd almost given up and gone to plan B (kick the door in)…but then he heard a soft 'click' as the door opened and Shane appeared, buttoning up his shirt and looking flustered. Phil's blood pressure went through the roof; aware of what that small action suggested had been happening. He bode his time, waiting for Shane to retreat back into the room. Hearing him swear and watching him turn back, Phil made his move.

He rushed to the door, blocking it from closing with his hand. Shane turned, wondering what stopped the door closing. He froze when he saw who had interrupted his evening.

Phil flew at him, grabbing him by the neck and pinning him to the wall. Shane released a surprised yelp but it soon turned into a smirk.

"What are you grinning at?" Phil growled, slamming his head into the wall for good measure. Shane grunted.

"What's wrong Phil? Did someone give the game away? Took you long enough…" Shane forced out as Phil strangled the breath from him. "Pissed that I fucked your girl?"

"You did WHAT? !" Phil yelled, punching him hard in the gut. As he doubled over, coughing, Phil punched the back of his head, knocking him to the floor. "You didn't do anything! You didn't lay a hand on her because if you did I'd fucking kill you!"

Shane remained smugly silent.

Phil took that as confirmation of his worst fears. "Fuck you! You fucking bastard!" Phil screamed, his emotions more than getting the better of him. He kicked Shane who lay prone on the floor, trying to protect his face. Phil crouched down; pummelling him with punches to any exposed area he could reach.

"Phil STOP" John yelled, pulling Phil away. When Cena had arrived, Phil didn't know, all he knew is he wanted Shane dead…he didn't deserve to live. His chest heaved as he tried to draw enough air in, head spinning. He'd never been this angry in his life.

Shane didn't dare stir but lay with his eyes shut, still looking infuriatingly calm. His nose was obviously broken, blood dripping onto the floor. Other than that, the damage wasn't yet visible. Phil hoped he was in the excruciating pain he deserved…he'd obviously hurt Maria and Phil couldn't deny the crippling pain inside his skull that stemmed directly from what Shane had done.

"Your judgement is clouded right now…just calm the fuck down" John said, gripping Phil's biceps as he restrained him.

"Calm down? How can I calm down? He put his filthy hands on her John!" Phil yelled, struggling.

"Where is she?" John asked, reminding Phil of the most important thing of all - that Maria was safe. He took a deep breath, trying to block out the throbbing in his head.

"Let me go John…I have to find her…"

John complied and released Phil, realising Phil's focus had shifted to the well-being of his girlfriend. He watched over Shane as Phil scanned the room.

"Where is she you perverted motherfucker?" Phil spat at Shane, receiving no response. He opened the door to the bedroom gingerly, afraid of what he could discover. The blankets on the bed were disturbed, only adding to the feeling in the pit of Phil's stomach that made him want to vomit.

He noticed an adjoining bathroom and took a deep breath, pushing the handle down. It was locked. She had to be in there. He knocked, hearing a strangled cry.

"Leave me alone! Please…please…" she sobbed.

A small wave of relief flooded over him…at least she was here; she was safe now.

"Maria…open the door, it's me…it's okay, I'm here"

"…Phil?" she asked in a tiny voice.

He pressed his forehead to the door and tried to find the words. Were there really any words that could make this better? Probably not…

"I'm here…I'm so sorry it took this long…I had no idea" he murmured shakily.

He heard the 'click' as the door was unlocked. He pushed it open slowly, peering inside. His heart shattered as he saw her curled up on the floor, not a single shred of clothing on her small frame. He instinctively shut and locked the door behind him, crouching beside her and taking her into his arms.

She was surprised she hadn't run out of tears yet, but more and more made their way down her cheeks as his warmth enveloped her. This time they were tears of relief; no arms ever made her feel safer than his.

"I thought you weren't going to come" she sobbed into his shirt.

He took a few shaky breaths, looking up as he tried to stop his emotions spilling over.

"You're safe…I got you" he soothed, kissing the top of her head. "Let's get you out of here"

"Where is he?" she whispered.

"John has him…he'll never touch you again I promise"

He took off his shirt, helping her put it on. Luckily it was big enough to cover most of her body. Picking her up bridal style, he carried her out of the room. John shook his head when he saw the state Maria was in.

"I'm taking her back to the room…call the police and Vince" Phil told him.

John nodded. "I'm sorry man, I hope she's okay" he added sympathetically.

"Me too"

* * *

><p>Phil gently laid her down on the bed, observing the finger marks around her wrists.<p>

He made to leave the room and heard her cry out to him. "Please don't leave me alone"

"I won't, I'm just grabbing you some clothes…I brought your suitcase from Chicago" he told her softly, bringing the suitcase into the room and rummaging through. He found some underwear and shorts, putting them on the bed along with a shirt.

"Can I keep your shirt on?…it smells like you" she whispered. He nodded, trying to hide the fact that he was in bits seeing her this way. She was such a strong-minded woman but now; she looked so weak and vulnerable. He helped her into the clothes, finding himself another shirt to put on.

Not quite sure what to do with himself he did what felt most natural; he lay next to her on the bed, stroking her hair. He desperately needed to know what had happened, but he was scared to have his fears confirmed.

Maria looked up at him, seeing the questions written on his face and the turmoil in his head.

"Do you hate me…?"

He stared at her but she wasn't meeting his gaze. "Why would I hate you?"

She couldn't answer, clinging to him, afraid he was going to leave her.

"…I know you need to ask…just say it" Maria whispered as yet more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What happened in there? I don't want to ask; but I have to know…" he asked, holding her close.

"What do you think happened?" she whispered, tears running down her face and onto his neck.

He felt his eyes burn as he asked the one question that made him feel physically sick. "Did…did he…rape you?"

She sobbed harder into his shoulder and he felt a traitorous tear escape. Shane had admitted it and Maria's reaction confirmed it.

She pulled away and wiped at her eyes. She took his hands and shook her head. "He…he tried…" she sobbed, clutching his hands to her chest.

Phil stopped breathing for a second. "So he didn't actually do it?"

"No…I escaped and locked myself in the bathroom" she whimpered at the memory.

Phil felt a wave of relief crash over him as he hugged her tightly to his chest. "Thank God…I'd never have forgiven myself" he whispered. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "It's my fault Phil…I let this happen, I deserved what he did" she cried.

Phil held her at arms length. "You didn't deserve it…no one deserves that"

"I'm so sorry Phil…I'm so stupid, I let him manipulate me…he said such vile things"

"It's okay…it's over" he told her, kissing her forehead.

"It's not…you could go to jail because of me…because of my stupidity, I fell for it Phil" she sobbed.

"That was my fault Ri, I decided to beat him within an inch of his life which I don't regret by the way. We both fell for it…I have a lawyer Ri, under the circumstances there's no way a judge won't see why I did what I did"

He rubbed her back, kissing every inch of available skin.

There was a knock at the door and John stepped in.

"Sorry to interrupt…the police are here. They arrested Shane and they want to speak to you both"

* * *

><p>After being forced to separate for questioning, Maria gave her statement and Phil was told he should expect a fine for assault. It was worth every penny to give that man even a tenth of the pain he caused them.<p>

"I'm so sorry Maria…I really am" Kelly told her.

"I know" Maria told her, still unable to properly forgive her. She tried to sleep with her boyfriend and worse, could have helped Shane in his plan to 'mark' Maria and destroy Phil's life.

After speaking to Vince, they discovered the extent of Shane's scheme. He'd managed to sign off storylines whereby Phil would lose his title and turn heel, destroying his fan support. Shane also had him moved to the mid card, wrestling ten minute matches. Vince was horrified and noticeably shaken after finding out what a monster his son had become. Once Shane had served his jail sentence, there was no way he'd ever be employed by the company again.

That night Maria lay awake, wrapped around Phil; as much of her body in contact with his as possible. She couldn't sleep; she could still feel Shane's hands on her. She sighed and opened her eyes, finding Phil watching her curiously.

"Can't sleep?" he asked softly.

She shook her head.

"Me either…"

He leaned down and kissed her softly, stealing her breath.

"What's wrong?"

"I can still feel him on top of me Phil…no matter how much I scrub my skin, I can still feel him there…" she whispered. "Make me forget…please Phil, cleanse my body of him. I need you to make me yours again"

"I don't know if now is the time Ri…"

"Please Phil, I know it makes you feel ill that he touched me, tell me you still want me…I need you; make love to me" she begged.

That was all the convincing he needed. He kissed her hungrily, unwinding their limbs so he could hover over her. "Of course I still want you Ri…I'll never stop wanting you" he assured her, groaning as she bit into the skin resting over his collar bone. She knew he had a bit of a pain fetish and right now his eyes were wild with desire. She was still his…he wasn't ever going to let her go.

He kissed a soft trail down her neck, gently removing her shirt and kissing a path between her soft breasts. She watched as he pulled off her shorts, running her hands all over his body and pulling his shirt over his head. She needed to feel him under her fingertips.

She ran a hand down his toned stomach, slipping a hand inside his pants. His heavily-lidded eyes followed as she massaged him through the thin fabric of his boxers. He was ready to take her as she used her other hand to unbutton his jeans. She stopped, pushing them down along with his boxers. He whined a little at the loss of contact and helped her, tossing them away as he ran his fingers over the smooth skin of her thighs. Parting them slightly, he kissed her abdomen, sucking and nipping at the skin. As he got closer to his destination, he felt her hands tugging at his hair. He moaned at the feeling but rather than guiding him, she was pulling him away. He looked up at her inquisitively.

"Not tonight…I need you now" she whispered.

Not wanting to keep her waiting and more than happy to meet her demands, he moved back up the bed to kiss her passionately.

"Please" she begged, spreading her legs and allowing him to accommodate his weight between them. He complied, sitting back and guiding himself to her entrance. He pushed in slowly, the room silent except for their heavy breathing and twin moans as their bodies joined in the most intimate of ways. She arched her back, drawing him in deeper and he panted, resting his forehead against hers. He remained still, controlling his desire until she began thrusting her hips into him. He took that as her signal to move, pulling back before pushing deep into her core. She released a satisfied sigh, raking her nails down his back. He groaned at the pain once more and pulled out again, repeating the motion. He enjoyed this different, slow love-making. He felt more in control and he spent more time enjoying each sensation as she clenched and relaxed around him.

They continued this way, him slowly pulling out almost all the way and then pushing in deep. She groaned on every thrust, feeling her climax building agonisingly slowly. Sweat formed in beads on his forehead as he captured her lips, expressing his passion and moaning into her mouth.

"I love you" he whispered.

"Ahhh…uhh…I love you too" she panted. "I'm close" she mumbled into his ear, clamping down on his ear lobe with her teeth.

"Uhhhhhh" he moaned. "Tell me…what feels good?"

"Right there…keep doing that" she breathed, feeling him thrust deeper into her.

It had been building so long…the ache in the pit of her stomach. She thought it was never going to come. As Phil pushed into her again, she was caught by surprise. She screamed out her pleasure, digging her nails into his back as her climax crashed through her. She spasmed around him and thrashed underneath his body, no longer in control of her own limbs.

Feeling her walls close around him to the point it felt like his manhood was trapped in a vice, he felt his stomach clench and he twitched inside her. She bit down on his shoulder and every muscle in his body contracted with force.

"I'm gonna….ohhhh God…ahh…uhh" he grunted as a feeling of ecstasy gripped him, washing over his lower body and spreading up his spine. He felt himself jerk and convulse as he spilled inside her. His hips bucked of their own accord as he continued to thrust, his manhood throbbing as the last of his load squeezed its way out of the head, her walls milking him dry.

Breathing heavily, his arms gave way. Coming back to his sense, he felt Maria's arms around his waist.

"We should probably go clean up"

"I am clean, I don't ever want to wash your scent from my body" she told him, kissing him.

"The hotel maid might see things a little differently" he whispered, his essence dripping onto the sheets from their joined bodies.

"I don't care…all I care about is that you're here with me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Phil, and I meant it when I said I want to have your babies one day"

A grin fought its way onto his face. "It's babies now? Like as in plural?" he chuckled.

"I want ten"

His eyes widened, mouth falling open.

"I'm joking Phil" she laughed.

"Fuck…I nearly had a cardiac arrest"

"But imagine all the sex" she growled, kissing him again. "I jest…but I do want a few though" she grinned, biting her lower lip.

"They'll be some good-looking kids" he smiled.

"And they'll have the sexiest daddy of all their friends"

"If they're anything like me they won't have any friends" he laughed, causing Maria to burst into fits of giggles.

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue ~<strong>

Phil held his breath as he knocked on the clinical white door. His other hand was holding Maria's. He was oddly nervous as the handle moved and the door swung open. He was met with the face of Dean who couldn't keep the smile from his lips.

As Dean stepped aside, Phil's eyes fell on the most beautiful sight…lying in the hospital bed was his sister. She looked exhausted, clad in a hospital gown with her eyes red and sweat still shining on her forehead. He'd never seen her looking more perfect. In her arms was a tiny newborn and as they entered, she lifted her gaze and met his eyes. A huge smile broke out over her face, a few tears escaping as she saw the proud look on her big brother's face.

Maria let go of Phil's hand, letting him and his little sister have this moment as a family. Dean joined her, watching as Phil approached the bed and crouched beside it. He smiled instinctively at the little boy cradled in his blanket. His eyes were closed as his miniature chest rose and fell.

"Phil, meet Joseph Philip Brooks-Riley"

Phil sucked in a surprised breath, looking to his sister. "Joseph Philip?"

She nodded. His chest swelled with pride as he kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly.

"Do you want to hold him?"

"I don't want to wake him up" he hesitated.

"It's okay, he needs feeding soon anyway" she smiled.

"I don't know how…I've never held a newborn, he's too small"

"It's okay, just make sure you support his head" she told him.

Phil gingerly reached down, scooping the baby into his arms. He looked at him in amazement; he looked just like Shay. He held his breath as his tiny eyes opened, staring up at him curiously.

"Hello little one, I'm your uncle Phil…" he whispered softly. At first Phil thought he was going to cry, his eyes widening and his little hands forming fists. He was taken by surprise when he let out a burp. Shay laughed.

"He definitely takes after you Shay" Phil chuckled, offering his finger.

"Oi don't be rude, I've just been through the pain of childbirth; you don't want to make me mad" she smiled.

Phil was in awe as the baby wrapped his hand around Phil's finger, kicking his legs happily.

"Do you want to take him back now? If not I might just have to steal him from you, he's so cute" Phil smiled, gently placing the baby back in Shay's arms.

"Get your own" she giggled. "I'm sure you know how to do it"

Phil turned to look at Maria who bit her lip. "Should we tell them?" he asked, a cheeky grin on his face.

She nodded. He left the bedside to stand behind Maria, taking her hands in his and placing them over her abdomen.

"No way!" Shay exclaimed, mouth falling open. Phil winked, running one of their joined hands over the bump that wasn't yet visible under clothes.

"We're having a baby" he grinned.

"I'm three months along"

**~ La Fin - The End ~ **

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you to every single person who read and especially those of you who took the time to leave me a review, I read them all regularly and they make me so happy. Please leave me one last review, what did you think of the chapter? And of the story as a whole? I hope you enjoyed it and I hope it lived up to your expectations. <strong>

**xLifeFullOfLaughterx**


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